RIAD SEIF, FOUR OTHERS ARRESTED AT DEMONSTRATION;

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 001107

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2016
TAGS: PHUM PGOV SY
SUBJECT: RIAD SEIF, FOUR OTHERS ARRESTED AT DEMONSTRATION;
SEIF RELEASED

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Stephen A. Seche for reasons 1.4(b)/(d
)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Prominent opposition figure Riad Seif and
four others were arrested on March 12 while participating in
a predominantly Kurdish demonstration in front of the Prime
Minister's office. According to human rights activists, Seif
was arrested by State Security agents and was released
several hours later on the night of the 12th, but has been
called in for interrogation with a senior State Security
officer on March 13. The other four detained demonstrators
have been transferred to the Political Security Directorate
(PSD). END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Prominent opposition figure Riad Seif was arrested
by SARG authorities on March 12 while participating in a
demonstration commemorating the March 2004 Qamishli rioting.
According to human rights activist Rezan Zeituneh, who also
participated in the demonstration, approximately 250
demonstrators, mainly Kurds, held vigil in front of the Prime
Minister's Office on the morning of March 12. Zeituneh noted
her surprise that there was also a relatively strong showing
of Arab party leaders in attendance, including Seif and the
leaders of a number of communist/socialist groupings.


3. (C) According to Zeituneh, the protest was allowed to
take place for 20 minutes. Police officers then told
protesters that all (non-Kurd) Arab participants had to
leave. When they refused, Seif was swarmed by riot police
and taken away. Riot police then proceeded to beat the other
protesters as well, resulting in the injury of the president
of the Revolutionary Workers Party, a small Communist
opposition party. According to human rights activist Anwar
al-Bunni, who also attended the demonstration as an observer,
four Kurdish demonstrators were also arrested by the criminal
police: Ismail Mohammed, Zubair Haidar, Assad Sheikhan, and
Tamar Mustafa.


4. (C) Seif was released at approximately 10:00 PM on March
12 by State Security authorities. According to Bunni, Seif
had been "shoved" by the security authorities while in
custody, but was not hurt. Meanwhile, the four Kurdish
demonstrators have been transferred to the Political Security
Directorate (PSD) and have yet to be released. In a
conversation with Seif's office secretary, whom he sent as an
emissary, She noted to Poloff that Seif was in good spirits
and "energized" on the morning of March 13. However, Seif was
due to attend an interrogation with Fuad Nassif Kheirbek, the
director of State Security Internal Branch (Branch 251) at 11
AM the same day.
SECHE