Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08DAMASCUS61
2008-01-28 15:44:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Damascus
Cable title:  

SYRIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL DETAINEES MAKE FIRST COURT

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PREL SY IS 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0006
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #0061 0281544
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 281544Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4572
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0754
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0342
C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 000061 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR JORDAN; LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SY IS
SUBJECT: SYRIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL DETAINEES MAKE FIRST COURT
APPEARANCE

REF: 07 DAMASCUS 1170

Classified By: CDA Todd C. Holmstrom for reasons 1.4 b and d

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 000061

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR JORDAN; LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SY IS
SUBJECT: SYRIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL DETAINEES MAKE FIRST COURT
APPEARANCE

REF: 07 DAMASCUS 1170

Classified By: CDA Todd C. Holmstrom for reasons 1.4 b and d


1. (SBU) Summary. All ten National Council detainees
appeared in Criminal Court on January 28 in the first of what
will likely be many court appearances over the next several
months. National Council President Fidaa Hourani was
formally accused of three politically motivated charges,
while the same was expected for the other detainees.
Although human rights lawyers have alleged security services
have beaten the male detinees, no observer at the court was
able to see any of them long enough to determine whether they
had been tortured. End Summary


2. (SBU) On January 28, all ten National Council detainees,
some of whom have been in custody since December 10, appeared
in Damascus Criminal Court for the first time. The ten are
Mohammad Yasser al-Eitti, Akram al-Bunni, Jaber al-Shoufi,
Ahmad Toma, Fidaa al-Hourani, Ali Abdullah, Walid al-Bunni,
Fayiz Sara, Mohammad Hajj Darwish, and Marwan al-Esh
(reftel).


3. (C) The investigative judge interrogated the defendants
one or two at a time starting with Fidaa Hourani, president
of the National Council. She was charged with &spreading
false news about the nation,8 &insulting the state,8 and
&promoting sectarian tensions.8 Under Syrian law, each
sentence carries a maximum charge of three years and is
therefore considered a misdemeanor.


4. (C) Human rights lawyer Khalil Matook speculated all of
the detainees would be similarly charged, but cautioned that
a higher ranking judge may add new charges in the near
future. A number of human rights lawyers had alleged that
the security services had tortured the male detainees during
their incarceration prior to their court appearance. Police
guards at the Court made an effort not to let outside
observers, such as diplomats and family members, get a good
look at the prisoners. Therefore, evidence of torture
allegations could be neither confirmed or denied. Human
rights lawyer Sirin Khoury said that all the prisoners were
transferred to Adraa prison yesterday except for Hourani, who
was transferred to the women,s prison in Douma.


5. (C) Poloff, who snuck past the court guard before being
escorted out, was able to see Hourani and Toma clearly.
Hourani and Toma appeared thin but in relatively good
spirits. Among Syrian opposition figures present were Hassan
Abdul Azeem, Riad Seif, and Riad Turk. Turk encouraged the
White House, the State Department and Congress to continue to
mention the National Council detainees publicly as he judged
such statements served to keep up the pressure on the Syrian
regime. There were also representatives from the German,
French and Austrian Embassies in attendance as well as a
Reuters correspondent, who planned to file a story.
HOLMSTROM