SYRIAN ACTIVIST ANWAR BUNNI IN COURT; EU REP TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 005429

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR WALLER, LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/20/2016
TAGS: PHUM PGOV SY
SUBJECT: SYRIAN ACTIVIST ANWAR BUNNI IN COURT; EU REP TO
DAMASCUS?


Classified By: Charge d'Affaires William Roebuck for reasons 1.4 b/d


1. (C) Summary: Prominent Syrian human rights activist
Anwar al-Bunni appeared briefly December 19 in Damascus
Criminal Court on charges connected to his signature on a
document calling for improved Syria-Lebanon relations, as
well as for involvement with a European Commission-funded
human rights center. Bunni's trial was postponed again until
January, most likely due to SARG hesitation about the
potential negative publicity of a conviction, according to
family friends and observers. A European Commission official
attending the trial separately noted to Poloff that EU
foreign policy chief Javier Solana was considering a visit to
Syria and that an EU human rights demarche would soon be
delivered to the SARG. End Summary.


2. (SBU) Bunni appeared in criminal court December 19 for
his first public court appearance since his arrest in May.
Bunni, who was dressed in civilian clothes (and not striped
prison garb),looked drawn and tired but smiled broadly at
his wife, family members, friends, lawyers and diplomatic
observers who attended his two-minute appearance before the
judges. Bunni's trial was postponed until January 21 because
the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor failed to send a
witness to testify against Bunni.


3. (C) Bunni first appeared in court on May 21 shortly after
his arrest and was interrogated by investigatory judges along
with three other signatories of the Damascus-Beirut
Declaration (DBD). At that time, Bunni was interrogated
solely about his involvement with a European Commission
(EC)-funded human rights center, while the other three
activists were questioned about their involvement with the
DBD. The most serious of the five charges against the men
include weakening national feelings and provoking sectarian
divisions, which can carry up to a life sentence. According
to human rights lawyers at the time of the interrogations,
Bunni was also charged with conspiring with a foreign power
and belonging to a secret organization attempting to
overthrow the state. Bunni more recently appeared on
November 20 in a closed court session (which was attended by
diplomatic observers) where he refused to enter a plea when
re-interrogated about the charges against him.


4. (C) While waiting for the December 19 court appearance to
begin, Poloff spoke to Loic Lallemand Zeller, head of the
political and economic section at the Delegation of the
European Commission, about EU-Syria relations. Zeller said a
group of European parliamentarians had recently visited
Syria, conveying to Syrian officials such as Deputy PM for
Economic Affairs Abdullah Dardari and FM Walid Mu'allim the
importance of human rights improvements as a precondition for
the conclusion of the EU-Syrian Association Agreement.
Dardari responded that the EU had "missed its chance," as the
Association Agreement would have provided the framework for
human rights improvements.


5. (C) Zeller also speculated that EU foreign policy chief
Javier Solana may travel to Damascus in the near future,
quoting Solana as saying that, given all of the other
European recent trips to Damascus, he didn't see what
difference his own visit would make. Zeller did not know
about timing of a Solana trip, noting, however, that it was
unlikely to occur before mid-January. (Comment: Zeller's
speculation that the EU's Solana may soon visit Syria
reflects a change from six weeks ago when Zeller downplayed
the idea. It follows, however, with Zeller's comments at
that time that "Syria was back on the EU agenda.")


6. (C) Zeller also noted that the EU had finally received a
requested appointment at the MFA to deliver a human
rights-related demarche. The Finnish Ambassador, the German
Charge and he would deliver the demarche to the MFA's
Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Ahmad Arnous, Zeller
said. It was still unclear whether the demarche would be
made public.


7. (C) Comment: Bunni's lawyers were not sure about the
reason behind the continued delay in the activist's trial,
commenting that the SARG should logically be able to ensure
timely testimony of Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor
officials. Family friends and other Syrians in attendance,
such as opposition leader Riad Seif, commented later,
however, that the SARG was probably delaying Bunni's trial

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and that of other political prisoners such as detained Syrian
intellectual Michel Kilo for fear that convictions would
bring negative publicity.
ROEBUCK