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SYRIA: Writer detained; fears for safety.
PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) | 16 May 2011 RAN 22/11
The Writers in Prison Committee of PEN International is seriously concerned about the detention on 12 May 2011of Najati Tayara, a writer and editor who was covering the protests which are currently taking place in Syria. He is held incommunicado at an unknown location, and is considered to be at risk of torture and ill-treatment. PEN International fears that Najati Tayara is targeted solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Syria is a signatory, and if so calls for his immediate and unconditional release. It urgently seeks information about his whereabouts, any charges against him and guarantees of his safety in detention.
According to PEN’s information, leading activist and writer Najati Tayara, 66, was arrested on 12 May 2011 in the city of Homs after he gave a telephone interview for Aljazeera TV on the crackdown by Syrian forces on peaceful protesters in Homs. His whereabouts are unknown and he has no contact with his family or lawyers. Tayara is editor-in–chief of the online Almarsad publication, published by the Syrian Human Rights Observatory, and contributes to the Tayyarat magazine and other periodicals and newspapers in Syria. He has also published several books including Human Rights and Democracy in Syria, published in Paris in 2001.
Anti-government protests were sparked in mid-March 2011 and have since spread across the country. Mass arrests are continuing and security officers have responded to the continuing protests with excessive force, using tear gas and live bullets to disperse demonstrators. Scores of civilians have reportedly been killed and many more wounded.
Please send appeals:
- Expressing grave concern for the well-being and whereabouts of writer Najati Tayara;
- Expressing concerns for Tayara’s safety, and seeking assurances that he is not being tortured or ill-treated in detention which violates Article 5 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
- Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Tayara and of all those currently detained in violation of Article 19 the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Syria is a state party;
APPEALS TO:
His Excellency President Bashar al-Assad
President of the Republic
Presidential Palace
Abu Rummaneh, Al-Rashid Street
Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic
Fax:+ 963 11 332 3410
His Excellency Said Sammour
Minister of Interior, Ministry of Interior
Merjeh Circle
Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic
Fax:+ 963 11 222 3428
Email: admin@civilaffair-moi.gov.sy
Please copy appeals to the diplomatic representative for Syria in your country if possible.
For further information please contact Cathy McCann at PEN International Writers in Prison Committee, Brownlow House, 50/51 High Holborn, London WC1V 6ER, Tel.+ 44 (0) 20 7405 0338, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7405 0339, email: cathy.mccann@pen-internationalpen.org
International PEN is trading as PEN International. International PEN is a company registered inEnglandandWaleswith registration number 05683997. International PEN is a registered charity in Englandand Wales with registration number 1117088. International PEN’s registered office is Brownlow House, 50-51 High Holborn,London, WC1V 6ER,UK.
