THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume VII, Issue # 127, June 9, 2005
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
DISSIDENT WATCH: AKTHAM NAISSE
By Suzanne Gershowitz
SYRIA & ITS DESPOTIC POLITICAL SYSTEM: DICTATORSHIP & THE SUPPRESSION OF MOVEMENTS ADVOCATING
DEMOCRACY & PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS -- AKTHAM NAISSE: ONE DISSIDENT'S STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY &
HUMAN RIGHTS IN SYRIA
FULL STORY:
In 1989, Aktham Naisse, a 38-year-old Syrian human rights activist, founded the Committee for the Defense of Democratic Liberties
and Human Rights and started publishing the Sawt ad-Dimuqratiya (Voice of Democracy) newsletter. Two years later,
his activities landed him in prison. While released in 1996, Naisse's continued agitation for democracy and human rights, suspended
by a series of Emergency Laws, led to five subsequent stints in prison.
In March, 2004, over 100 Syrian intellectuals joined with Naisse to deliver to the Syrian Parliament a petition signed by 7,000
individuals protesting Syria's Emergency Laws. [1] The following month, Naisse issued a report detailing the Syrian government's
suppression of the Syrian Kurdish minority, in the wake of March, 2004, riots near the city of Qamishli. [2] Syrian security services
promptly arrested Naisse again, charging him with "engaging in activities against the Socialist regime and opposing its revolutionary
aims." [3]
For ten days after his arrest, his Syrian jailers denied Naisse medication for his heart and kidney conditions. As a result, he suffered a
stroke crippling his right hand and leg and hindering his speech. [4] Although Naisse was released on bail in August, 2004, the Syrian
government continues to threaten him with imprisonment. Anwar Bunni, Naisse's lawyer, told reporters, in January, 2005, that "despite
international calls and protests for the trial to be cancelled because of a lack of fair legal procedures, the authorities are insisting it
goes ahead as a sword of Damocles over all political and rights activists." [5]
European and American human rights activists have recognized Naisse's courage in standing up to the Syrian dictatorship. In January,
2005, a jury of representatives from eleven major international human rights groups bestowed the prestigious Martin Ennals Award for
Human Rights Defenders upon Naisse. [6] The spotlight forced Damascus to again postpone the trial of their leading dissident.
If international pressure on the Syrian government wanes, it is likely that Naisse will spend September, 2005, not in Geneva collecting
the Martin Ennals Award, but rather, in an isolation cell within Syria's infamous Sednaya prison.
NOTES:
[1] Farid Ghadry, "Syrian Reform: What Lies Beneath," Middle East Quarterly, Winter 2005, p. 67.
[2] The Washington Post, Apr. 11, 2004.
[3] Agence France-Presse, Jan. 16, 2005.
[4] "Human Rights Defender at Risk, Letter to the EU Foreign Ministers," Follow-Up Committee for Aktham Naisse's Case,
Oct. 6, 2004.
[5] Agence France-Press, Jan. 16, 2005.
[6] "Syrian Human Rights Defender, Aktham Naisse, Winner of 12th Martin Ennals Award," Human Rights First, Jan. 11,
2005; news release, Amnesty International, Jan. 12, 2005.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
The Middle East & the Problem of Syria
The Middle East & the Arabs
The Threat of Radical Islam
More on the Threat of Radical Islam
War & Peace in the Real World
Islamist Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.A.
Osama bin Laden & the Islamist Declaration of War
Against the U.S.A. & Western Civilization
Islamist International Terrorism &
U.S. Intelligence Agencies
U.S. National Security Strategy
Suzanne Gershowitz is a research assistant at the American Enterprise Institute.
The foregoing article by Suzanne Gershowitz was originally published in the Middle East Quarterly, Spring, 2005, and can be
found on the Internet website maintained by the Middle East Forum.
Republished with Permission of the Middle East Forum
Reprinted from the Middle East Forum News
mefnews@meforum.org (MEF NEWS)
June 7, 2005
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