SENIOR SYRIAN DISSIDENT DISCUSSES NATIONAL COUNCIL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 000373 SIPDIS PARIS FOR JORDAN; LONDON FOR TSOU E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/26/2018 TAGS: KDEM PGOV PHUM PREL SY SUBJECT: SENIOR SYRIAN DISSIDENT DISCUSSES NATIONAL COUNCIL NEEDS REF: A. 07 DAMASCUS 1193 ¶B. 07 DAMASCUS 1184 Classified By: CDA Michael H. Corbin for reasons 1.4 b and d ¶1. (SBU) This is an Action Request. Please see Paragraph 6. ¶2. (C) Summary: The Damascus Declaration National Council (DDNC) is an increasingly difficult situation, according to senior member Riad Turk (strictly protect). The most direct result of the DDNC,s growing insolvency is that the family members of the detained DDNC members are now in dire financial straits. Post recommends exploring new and creative ways to get some support flowing to the DDNC. A full list of the DDNC detainees and other Human Rights Defenders Funds requests is at the end of this cable. (End Summary.) ¶3. (C) Although Turk never directly solicited USG support, he emphasized in recent meetings that the family members of the DDNC detainees were struggling financially. In addition, Turk said DDNC,s ability to support the family members of its detained members has diminished because the traditional sources of the DDNC funding were scared off after so many DDNC members were arrested in December 2007. According to Human rights activist Rezan Zeitunah, the most desperate of the detainees, families are those of Ali Abdullah and Mohammad Hajj Darwish. (Note: It is standard SARG practice to ostracize and deny traditional social support to family members of political prisoners to further pressure dissidents to recant and to warn others of the severe consequences of following their example.) ¶4. (C) Assisting families of jailed activists represents one of several priorities in our democracy strategy (ref A). DRL's Defender's Fund program has begun to address this priority need, but we believe more can be done. We also have advocated providing MEPI funding through indirect channels. In a conversation last November with a visiting MEPI representative, DDNC founder Riad Seif expressed his support for using the offices of the Movement for Justice and Development (MJD) in Europe as a conduit through which to send USG money to help the DDNC (ref B). Lawyer and civil society activist Daad Musa has repeatedly put forward the idea of providing in-kind gifts such as computers. Post is willing to use MEPI funding to purchase, for example, laptops on the local economy and provide them to the families of political prisoners. Finally, many of the families of the DDNC detainees have expressed interest in taking American Language Center (ALC) classes. (Note: Post already provides ALC classes to some human rights activists and children of political prisoners.) These are just a few examples. ¶5. (C) Comment: Based upon what the majority of our contacts are saying, political dissidents and human rights defenders in Syria are in need of more assistance than ever. The ongoing crackdown has led much of their traditional domestic networks of support to dry up. Moreover, while the DRL Human Rights Defenders Fund is a good first step, the $5,000 per family limit leaves a large unmet need for the families of DDNC detainees, who need everything from tuition assistance to medical care to everyday food items. In many cases it will be difficult to provide receipts for any assistance they receive. In kind assistance, increased tuition support for education opportunites such as English courses, and a more aggressive human rights defenders support program are all avenues through which the USG can assist democratic movement in Syria. ¶6. (C) Action Requests: 1) Post urges expanding the use of third party non-USG intermediaries to assist the families of detained and imprisoned dissidents and Syrian DDNC activities in Syria during this difficult period; 2) While recognizing fiscal reporting and legal requirements, Post requests NEA and DRL consult to see whether the Defenders' Fund grant can be increased when warranted beyond the $5,000 limit. We would like to explore whether grants in excess of this amount could be issued in a way that did not require documentation that would exposee the grantees to additional scrutiny by the Syrian security services. ¶7. (SBU) List of DDNC Prisoners: ¶1. Fida,a Hourani DAMASCUS 00000373 002 OF 002 ¶2. Ahmad al-Khir ¶3. Akram al-Bunni ¶4. Ali Abdullah ¶5. Mohammad Yasser al-Eitti ¶6. Walid al-Bunni ¶7. Jabr al-Shoufi ¶8. Fayez Sara ¶9. Mohammad Hajj Darwish ¶10. Marwan al-Esh ¶11. Riad Seif ¶12. Talal Abu Dan ¶8. (C) A list of other Human Rights Defenders that Post has recommended for funding in the past. These defenders, or their families, receive or have received funding from the DDNC (strictly protect). ¶1. Michel Kilo ¶2. Inur al-Buni ¶3. Mahmoud Ayisha ¶4. Mahmoud Hussein ¶5. Khalil Hussein ¶6. Soliman Shamar ¶7. Tariq Gourani ¶8. Faiq al-Mer ¶9. Riad Darrar ¶10. Amr al-Abdullah ¶11. Habeeb Salah ¶12. Mahmoud Sarem ¶13. Mawloud Mafoudh ¶14. Mahy al-Din al-Sheikh Ali ¶15. Arif Dalila ¶16. Anwar al-Bunni ¶17. Riad Turk ¶18. Ayham Saqqar ¶19. Allam Faahoor ¶20. Maher Asbr ¶21. Hasam Melham ¶22. Thayab Sariya ¶23. Anoor Asfari CORBIN