STRONG CANADIAN DEMARCHE ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN SYRIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 000268

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/21/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM SY CA
SUBJECT: STRONG CANADIAN DEMARCHE ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN SYRIA

REF: A. OTTAWA 222


B. OTTAWA 172

C. OTTAWA 0024

D. 07 STATE 171106

Classified By: PolMinCouns Scott Bellard, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) According to Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade (DFAIT) Middle East Division Director
Michael Grant, DFAIT on February 20 summoned Syrian
Ambassador to Canada Jamil Sakr to receive a strongly worded
aide memoire expressing "deep concerns" over the human rights
situation in Syria and the status of detained peace activists
Kamala Labwani, Anwar al-Bunni, Michel Kilo, and Mahmoud
'Issa, as well as calling on Syria to live up to its 'binding
obligation" under the International Covenant on civil and
Political Rights and to take "concrete steps to stop attacks
on peaceful political and human rights activists." (Full
text in para 3.) Grant indicated that Ambassador Sakr
offered no substantive response -- nor had DFAIT expected him
to -- but that Damascus would likely react.


2. (C) Comment: This demarche escalates the intensity of
recent bilateral exchanges on human rights (refs a-c) and
lives up to our request for such action (ref d). Canada
remains a strong partner of the U.S. in our quest to promote
and protect human rights around the world. End Comment


3. (C) Begin Text
Canada is disturbed by the systemic lack of respect for basic
human rights in Syria. As a party to the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other
international human rights instruments, Syria is under a
binding obligation to take all possible steps to ensure that
its domestic law and practices are in keeping with its
international human rights commitments. Canada calls upon
Syria to live up to these commitments.

Canada is alarmed by the recent arrests of peaceful civil
society activists associated with the "Damascus Declaration".
These arrests are yet another example of human rights
violation and they have renewed Canada's deep concerns over
the human rights situation in Syria.

We remain concerned about the situation of all peaceful
activists who remain in detention, including Kamal Labwani,
Anwar al-Bunni, Michel Kilo and Mahmoud 'Issa.

Canada calls upon Syria to address urgently the situation of
these and other political detainees, in keeping with Syria's
international human rights obligations under Articles 9
(arbitrary arrest and detention),12 (freedom of movement),
14 (minimum guarantees for judicial proceedings),19 (freedom
of opinion and expression) and 22 (freedom of association) of
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Canada encourages Syria to take firm measures to combat
practices of arbitrary arrest, incommunicado detention,
torture and cruel and degrading treatment. Canada encourages
Syria to ensure thorough investigation into allegations of
these practices, prosecution of perpetrators and remedies for
victims.

Canada also encourages Syria to take concrete steps to stop
attacks on peaceful political and human rights activists,
including by putting in place adequate protections for the
universal freedoms of movement, expression, assembly and
association.

Finally, Canada calls on Syria to review the application of
the Emergency Law that has been in place for 44 years, and is
often invoked as the justification for suspension of civil
liberties.

Canada's ongoing concerns about the human rights situation in
Syria stem from a common responsibility to ensure the
broadest possible enjoyment of the rights guarantees in
international instruments.

International human rights instruments apply equally to all
QInternational human rights instruments apply equally to all
states party, and Canada follows closely the human rights
situation in all countries. Where Canada has concerns, we
express these concerns in different ways -- in public or in
private -- depending on the channels available and the nature
of our bilateral relationship.
19 February 2008.
End text

Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada

WILKINS