Libanesi
detenuti illegalmente nelle prigioni SIRIANE
Comitato per sostenere i Libanesi detenuti
e in esilio
"S.O.L.I.D.E."
febbraio 2001
La nuova lista dei detenuti libanesi
nelle prigioni Siriane.
Questa lista è stata presentata al UN Comitato per i
diritti dell'uomo, lo Stato Vaticano, le organizzazioni
internazionali dei diritti dell'uomo, governi dell' Unione Europea
Detenuti dal 1990 (dopo la fine della guerra):
1.
Ally Issa : soldato nelle Armi Libanesi, 26 feb. 1999
2.
Mouhamad Al Shoufy : soldato nelle Armi Libanesi, 3 Mar. 1999
3.
Izzat Yassin : soldato nelle Armi Libanesi, 13 Set. 1999
4.
Najib Youssef Jaramany: Autista di Autobus Scolastico, Nato il
1956, con 5 figli, Rapito il 24 Gen. 1997
5.
Rashid Hassan : Rapito il feb. 1997.
6.
Abdallah Ahmad Shahaddeh: Impiegato nel Ministero della pub.
Istruzioni, Rapito il 8 Set. 1997
7.
Bassam George Semaan: Rapito nel 1996
8.
Ally Farhat : soldato nelle Armi Libanesi, Rapito nel 1995
9.
George Ayoub Shalawit: Rapito il 30 Mar. 1994. (Nella Prigione
di Tadmur-Siria)
10. Nimr
Naddaf: soldato nelle Armi Libanesi 27 Lug. 1994.
11. Nabil
George Semaan: Rapito 5 Lug. 1994.
12. Tony
George Tamer: Rapito il 7 Lug. 1993 (Nella Prigione di Tadmur-Siria).
13. Samir
Mikael Al Hajj: Sposato con 3 figli, Rapito nel 1993 , (forze Nella
Prigione di Tadmur-Siria) .
14. Nabil
Fawaz : Rapito nel 1993.
15.
Joseph Amine Houyaiis: Rapito il 2 June 1992 (20 anni, lavori
forzati)
16. Milad
Shehady Barakat: Abitante di Wady Shahrour, Rapito il 19 Apr. 1992.
17. Khadija
Yihya Boukhara: Cantante, Rapito da Beirut Aeroporto il 28 Apr. 1992.
18. Dany
Mansouraty: Commerciante, Rapito in Damasco il 9 Mag. 1992.
19.
Boutrous Khawand: Rapito da sotto casa il 15 Set. 1992
20. George
Aziz Mahfouz: Rapito il 19 Dic. 1991 da Tripoli nel Nord del Libano.
Soldati
Libanesi dell'Esercito rapiti il 13 Ottobre 1990
dopo la battaglia tra l'Esercito Libanese e quello Siriano a
Beirut :
1.
Johny Salem Nassif (Sua Madre lo ha visitato una volta a: Maze
), Marwan Al Zoughby, Mickael Youssef Hasbany,
Joseph Azar, Elie Saad Haddad, Elie Youssef Aoun. Stato confermato dal
Ministero della Difesa Libanese la loro presenza nelle prigioni
Siriani con decreto numero 9399-ad-mm. il 27 Set. 1990.
2.
Ufficiale George Abou Haloun.
3.
John Joseph Khoury .
4.
Fouad Assaker.
5.
Marwan Farres.
6.
Michel George Al Batteeh.
7.
Adel Youssef Doumit.
8.
George Metanious Bashour.
9.
Jack Hanna Nakhoul.
10.
John Mickael Nakhle.
11.
Tanious Kamil Al Habber ( Sua Madre lo ha visitato una volta).
12.
Marwan Riad Mechaalany.
13.
Antoine Zakhour Zakhour: Stato confermato dal Ministero della
Difesa Libanese la sua presenza nella prigione Siriana il 22 Ott.
1990.( Suo Padre lo ha visitato una volta).
14.
Ufficiale Robert Bou Sarhal.
15.
Ufficiale Tanious Sharbel Zoughaib.
16.
Elie Karim Wehbe.
17.
Sayed Shahid Battour.
18.
Joseph Dib Al Akiky.
19.
Najy Elias Al Hindy
20.
Jihad George Eid (è stata riferita la sua presenza nelle
prigioni siriane da un ex detenuto ).
21.
Milad Youssef Al Alam.
22.
Doumit Souleiman Ibrahim.
23.
George Milad Al sheikh.
24.
Khaled Moustafa Khodr
Preti rapiti il 13 Ott. 1990:
25.
Padre Albert Shirfan.
26.
Padre Souleiman Aby Khalil.
I due preti antoniani sono stati rapiti da
" Deir Al Kalaa" Monastero ad Est di Beirut e con loro la
Sig.ra Victoria Dakkash (Servitù del Monastero). I Siriani hanno
dichiarato la morte in battaglia dei due frati ma i vicini del
monastero ribadiscono che li hanno visti qualche giorno dopo la fine
della battaglia.
Nessuna prova sostiene i reclami siriani,
mentre molte fonti insistono che sono state arrestati dalle
forze speciali siriane perché hanno provato a nascondere un gruppo di
soldati libanesi che scappavano dall'esercito siriano. Alcuni dei
soldati sono Tanious Kamil Al Haber e Antoine Zakhour, che
risultano prigionieri siriani.
La gente della città di Qournayel (Drusi)
nella zona di Matn conferma di aver visto i due preti con altri
detenuti libanesi in un convoglio dell'esercito siriano.
I detenuti liberati confermano che tutti i
prigionieri del 13 di ottobre del 1990 sono nella prigione di Tadmur.
I Detenuti Libanesi arrestati prima del 1990,
dalle milizie pro-Siriani e militari Siriani :
1. -Raiif
Fouad Dagher: Rapito da “Hizb-Allah” il 6 giu. 1990.
2. -Elie
Khalil Mansour: 10 June 1990 from Saida.
3. -Jamal
Abdel Salam Yassine Bayrouty: Uomo d'affari, Rapito il 10 Mar. 1989.
4. -Abdel
Hafiz Oulaiyan: 1 Feb. 1989.
5. -Moustafa Kenaan: 2 Feb. 1989.
6. -Milad
Naoum Al Khoury: 16 May 1989.
7. -Khaled
Said Farhat: 6 June 1989.
8. -George
Emile Zaher: 7 Ago. 1989.
9. -Claude
Augoust Jirar: 4 Ott. 1989.
10.
-Tony Youssef Metanious Mattar: 25 Dic. 1988.
11.
-Elias Ibrahim Jirjis: 1988.
12.
-Samir Fouad Al Sayegh: 8 Set. 1987.
13.
-Khalil Amine Abou Zakky: 15 Giu. 1987.
14.
-Toufik Salim Al Jamal: 24 Lug. 1986.
15.
-Darar Abd Al Qadr: 6 Mar. 1986.
16.
-George Adib Gannaj: 6 Gen. 1986.
17.
-Shamel Housseoin Kenaan: soldato nelle Armi Libanesi rapito
il16 Giu. 1986.( In Tadmur prison)
18.
-Ahmad Abd Al rassoul Daboouk: 6 Nov. 1986.
19.
-Dr. Girgy Malek Hanna: Professore nella univ. Di Beirut,
Rapito il 10 Sett. 1985.
20.
-Rashid Ahmad Al Khalil: Rapito da “Abou Moussa”
Gruppo palestinese filo Siriano , ultimamente è stato trasferito in
una prigione Siriana.
21.
-Shukrallah Touma, Jack Abi Mourad, & Albert Nicola :
Rapiti insieme il 13 del 1985.
22.
-George Joseph Al Asmar: rapito dal partito nazionale Siriano
(in Libano) il 9 Feb. 1985, e dopo nelle prigione siriane.
23.
-Said Foud Al Khabbaz: nel mar. 1985.
24.
-Saba Naja Asaker: 18 Apr. 1985.
25.
-Habib Nabil Abi Abdalla: Uomo d'affari rapito il 25 Apr. 1985.
26.
-Qouzhaya Karam Dagher: 28 Apr. 1985.
27.
-Robert Marwan Abou souleiman: Poliziotto rapito il 28
Apr. 1985.
28.
-Florence Michel Raad: Giornalista Libano-Francese, rapito da
“Hizb- Allah” nel 1985 e dopo consegnato ai servizi segreti
siriani.
29.
-Claude Hanna Khoury: soldato nelle Armi Libanesi rapito il 20
Giu. 1985.
30.
-Jeries Elias Kassis: 20 Giu. 1985.
31.
-Elias Nicola Al shaieb: 19 Ago. 1985.
32.
-Victor Binny Farhat: Ago 1985, è stato rivisto nella prigione
di Tadmur.
33.
-Tanious Jirjis Elias: 19 Ago. 1985.
34.
-Jirjis Nimr Jirjis: soldato nelle Armi Libanesi rapito nel
Nov. 1985.
35.
-Ibrahim Khalil Haddad: 9 Lug. 1985.
36.
-Malek Yasin Agha Kalthoum: Rapito nel 1984.
37.
-Amine Ghabriel Al Dik: 18 Feb. 1984.
38.
-Joseph Jamil Phares: 22 Feb. 1984.
39.
-Elias Michel Abdel Nour: Rapito all'aeroporto di Damasco il 8
Mar. 1984.
40.
-Nabih Youssef Isshak: 31 Mar. 1984.
41.
-Youssef Nakhle Al Kallas: 26 Giu. 1984.
42.
-Ibrahim Melhim Jabber: 12 Apr. 1984.
43.
-Samir Jirjis Nassrallah: soldato nelle Armi Libanesi rapito il
26 Giu. 1984.
44.
-Omar Ahmad Al khodr: 7 Ago. 1984.
45.
-Fouad Saouma Haddad, Edward Soufeir, & George Qazzy :
Rapiti in Siria nel Ago. 84
46.
-Atta Mahmoud Al Abdallah: nel 1984.
47.
-Fady Elie Ghoulam: 30 Ott. 1984.
48.
-Salman Aly Al ziz : Nov. 1984.
49.
-Karam Youssf Mourkous. Ziad Youssef Mourkous & Elie Abou
Nader : tre musicisti rapiti il 21 di Nov. 1984, sono stati accusati
di collaborare con israele.
50.
-Elias Mama Saab: nel 1984.
51.
-Adel Kamal Dib: Rapito dai miliziani filo siriani e dopo
trasferito in Siria il 17 di Dic. 1984. La sua cella è la numero
285(State Security service) .
52.
-Sizar Elias Kaisar Eid: Studente universitario, 22 Gen. 1984.
53.
-Karim Maroun Shahla: 28 Ott. 1983.
54.
-Amer Ahmad Al tourkoumany: 25 Ott. 1983.
55.
-Milad Habib Youssef: 29 Ago. 1983.
56.
-Ally Mouhamad Ahmad Housein: 23 Sett. 1983.
57.
-Eid Anoine Sarkis & Arz Antoine SArkis: 10 di Feb. 1983.
58.
-Charbel Tanious Zoughaib:
3 Ott. 1983.
59.
Khaled Abdel Latif Al Kourdy & Salem Abdel Latif Al Kourdy
: il 15 di Dic. 1983.
60.
-Riad Abdel Khaleq Al Qary & Bassam Abdel Rahman Al sabsaby:
Dic. 1983.
61.
-Daoud Youssef Lahoud: 24 Dic.
1983.
62.
-Robet Badry rokouz: Feb. 1983.
63.
-Riad Youssef Geagea: 1983.
64.
-Joseph Nazih Al Zarka: on Mar.
1983.
65.
-Joseph Hanna Awad: 28 Mar. 1983.
66.
-Alfred Jirjis Al Habr: Sept. 1983.
67.
-Marroun Youssef Al Khoury: rapito 7 Sett. 1983.
68.
-Mouhamad Mahmoud Al Sultan: 29 Ott. 1983.
69.
-Hisham Ramadan: Polizziotto, rapito 29 Ott. 1983.
70.
-Youssef Salim Al Gharib: Polizziotto, rapito 3 Nov. 1983.
71.
-John Semaan Saliba, & Antoine Semaan Saliba: Rapiti il 21
Dic. 1983.
72.
-George Moukhail Awad: 22 Nov. 1983.
73.
-Issam Hassib Kiidy: rapito dalla Milizia filo siriano “Amal”.
Trasferito in siria il 26 di Ott
1983. Suoi parenti prima, e dopo ex-detenuti, confermano la sua
presenza in Tadmur.
74.
-Maroun Edward Mousalem: 4 Sett. 1983.
75.
-Elie Ibrahim Al Sabak: 3 Sett 1983.
76.
-Hanna Mourrad Solaiman: rapito 1982.
77.
-Houssein Khodr Omeirat: 1982.
78.
-Hassoun Amine Hassoun: 2 Nov. 1982.
79.
-George Elias Lahhoud: 2 Nov. 1982.
80.
-George Youssef Abi Nakkad: 1982.
81.
-Walid Mouhamad Zarkout: Soldato nel Dugana, rapito nel 1982.
82.
-Edward Kamil Al Khoury: 16 Mar.
1982.
83.
-Antoine Ghaleb Khazaka: Rapito dal partito nazionale Siriano
(in Libano) trasferito dopo nelle prigioni siriane il 21 Giu. 1982.
84.
-Aly Moussa Abdallah: Lug. 1981.
85.
-Rene Tanious Mouaad: 20 Nov. 1980.
86.
-Qouzhaia Farid Chehwan: rapito dalla città Cheka 22 Lug.
1980.
87.
-Istifan Massoud Iskandar: 6 Set. 1979.
88.
-Tanious Ibrahim Tayar: 27 Mag.
1978.
89.
-Fady Jirjis Karam: 1 Lug. 1978.
90.
-Fady Jirijis Karam: 1 Lug. 1978.
91.
-Abdel reda Shehaddy Barbish: rapito nel 1978, Suoi parenti
hanno ricevuto una sua lettera spedita dalle prigioni siriane.
92.
-Antoine Elias Tawil: 7
Lug. 1978.
93.
-Joseph Elias Sabaa: 7 Lug 1978.
94.
-Stafrou Elie Andrioty: 7 Lug. 1978.
95.
-Malky Youssef Shoumait: 7 Lug. 1978.
96.
-Nadim Mirii Mirii: 28 Ago.
1978.
97.
-Assaf Jeries Roukouz Mourad: 22 Set. 1978.
98.
-Becharra Tanious Roumieh: Mar. 1978.
99.
-Farid Youssef Hanna: rapito
1978.
100. -Nasser
Dib Qaafrany: rapito 1978.
101. -Shahine Shaker Al Hayek: Rapito 22 Gen. 1978.
102. -Joseph Elias Al Hoyaik: Rapito 6 Ott. 1978
103. -Tanious Youssef Elias: Rapito 9 Feb. 1978.
104. -Mouhamad
Taan Nasrallah: Rapito 1978.
105. -Jamal
Riad Houhou: 31 Dic. 1978.
106. -Samir Samy
Ramih Saad: 6 Ott. 1967.
107. -Imad
Najib Haidar: Rapito nel Dic. 1976,
rapporto conferma che è ancora vivo nella prigione di Tadmur.
108. -Elias Emile Harmoush: rapito 16 Gen.. 1976.
109. -Antoine
Michel Mezher: rapito in 16 Gen. 1976, Suoi Parenti e un rapporto
confermano che è ancora vivo nelle prigioni Siriane.
110. -Samih Abdel Rahman Mounaiemneh: Rapito 5 Giu.
1976.
Yousef Daoud 'Aoun
era un ragazzo di
17 anni quando, nel 1982, Israele invase il Libano. Il 3 giugno di
quell'anno, lui e alcuni suoi amici vennero arrestati nei pressi di
Seghbine, nella Bekaa orientale, da elementi del Partito sociale
nazionalista siriano. Furono consegnati ai servizi segreti militari
siriani ed accusati di appartenere alle "Forze libanesi",
una milizia che combatteva contro la presenza della Siria in Libano.
Da allora, Yousef
Daoud 'Aoun è detenuto senza processo in una prigione siriana. Dal
1999 i parenti non possono più visitarlo e hanno perso le sue tracce.
Il 22 luglio 2002
una delegazione di parenti di prigionieri libanesi si è recata a
Damasco: in quella occasione il ministro degli Interni, generale 'Ali
Hammud, si è impegnato a fornire notizie entro novanta giorni.
Tuttavia i parenti non hanno ricevuto alcuna notizia sulla sorte dei
loro cari.
AI chiede alle
autorità siriane di comunicare dov'è detenuto Yousef Daoud 'Aoun, di
assicurare che non è sottoposto a torture e maltrattamenti e, in
considerazione dei lunghi anni trascorsi in carcere senza processo, di
disporre il suo rilascio immediato. AI chiede inoltre che tutte le
informazioni sui cittadini libanesi detenuti in Siria siano messe a
disposizione dei loro parenti.
L'appello può
essere trasmesso anche via fax (00963 11 3323410).
Si prega di
inviare copia dell'appello a: His Excellency Major General 'Ali Hammud,
Minister of the Interior, Ministry of Interior, Merjeh Circle,
Damascus, Repubblica Araba Siriana (fax: 00963 11 2223428) e
all'Ambasciata della Repubblica Araba Siriana in Italia (piazza
dell'Ara Coeli 1, 00186 Roma).
Affrancatura per
spedizione con posta prioritaria: € 0,62 sia per la Siria che per
l'Italia.
* Tutti i casi accennati hanno un
file completo e prove da risorse differenti: Genitori, ex-detenuti,
ufficiali siriani, politici libanesi, organizzazioni dei diritti
dell'uomo ed altre.
Report on Lebanese Detainees
in Syrian Prisons
AUGUST 2003
Index:
Introduction
Why Does Syria Detain Lebanese?
Official Lebanese and Syrian Positions (1987-2003)
Missing in Syrian Jails
From One Detention Center to Another
Testimonies of Released Detainees
Human Rights Groups’ Positions
Recommendations
A-
Introduction
On
June 25, 2003 Joseph Emile Houeiss, a Lebanese citizen, 43 years old, died
in detention in a Syrian jail. His remains were returned to Lebanon six
days later and buried hastily in his native village in the Bekaa Valley.
It was the fourth case in which the body of a Lebanese prisoner has been
repatriated from a Syrian detention center in relative secrecy. Joseph was
arrested in Lebanon in 1992 by Syrian Military Forces following a road
accident in which 2 Syrians died. He was immediately transferred to Syria
where he was serving a 20 years sentence handed by a Syrian Military
Court.
This
is one example of an on-going tragedy, the one of the many Lebanese
illegally detained in Syria.
December 2000 brought first what seemed to be
happy news to Lebanese families when Syria released 46 Lebanese detainees
from its jails. Human Rights Organizations and Political figures
hailed it a good initiative. But soon the mood changed when Syrian
Officials declared that there was no more Lebanese detained in Syrian
jails. Families rushed to protest the death sentence against their
loved ones and demanded the Lebanese Government to assume its
responsibility towards its citizens and attempt to locate them or at least
acknowledge their presence in Syria. As a result of public and media
pressures and the mounting protest to closing the files of detainees,
Lebanese State Prosecutor Adnan Addoum suddenly announced that Syria still
holds 95 Lebanese Nationals charged with common crimes and that they will
not be released until they serve their jail time in Syria.
But, even when counting those who were
released and adding those names provided by the Lebanese State Prosecutor,
there remain a much larger number of undeclared persons believed to be
held in Syrian custody. Their families are devastated and times and times
again they ride this emotional roller coaster of being forced to believe
that their sons are dead or permanently missing. However, those
families are convinced that if they keep pushing, Syria will release
prisoners she previously denied holding.
B-
Why Does
Syria
Detain Lebanese?
Since its military incursion into Lebanon in
1976, Syrian forces, military and intelligence, have been summoning,
interrogating, detaining and transferring Lebanese (and other foreigners
residing in Lebanon) to Syria. Those arrested are deprived of their basic
rights, including access to family, legal counsel, they are often tortured,
mistreated, and kept in Detention Centers in lamentable condition. There
is no clear and transparent legal proceeding, no respect for due process.
Number of those arrested remains jailed for years before being brought to
Court, if ever. Sentences are swiftly pronounced by Military Courts
without right to appeal
Syria deals with the Lebanese in Lebanon as it
deals with the Syrians in Syria. It considers any political
opposition or any threat to its interests in Lebanon, a threat to its
security. Syria does not tolerate any opposition to its presence in
Lebanon, and detention is a method among others to curb this opposition.
The accusations
used against detainees vary from collaboration with Israel to political
affiliation with groups opposed to the Syrian presence in Lebanon.
The Syrian and the pro-Syrian Lebanese
Governments often accuse members of the opposition of serving Israeli
interest in Lebanon. The Lebanese President Emile Lahoud states that those
demanding Damascus withdraw its soldiers from Lebanon are serving Israel,
and are working against Syrian and Lebanese interests. Also, Syrian
officials declared "Lebanese parties who are launching a campaign
against Syrian presence in Lebanon are serving Israel's purposes and
interests."
C-
Official
Lebanese and Syrian Positions (1987-2003)
To better
understand how the Lebanese and Syrian governments have dealt with the
issue of Lebanese Detainees in Syria over the years, it is necessary to
provide this chronology of events and declarations:
1-
October
1987: Amnesty
International published a report about Lebanese detained in Syrian Jails
2-
In 1993: Lebanese President Elias Hrawi, a Syrian ally,
announced to the BBC that Syria does not hold Lebanese prisoners.
3-
In 1995: the Lebanese Government issued a decree, which
considers all missing during the Lebanese War to be legally dead.
This decision inhumanly requested the families to initiate this process,
thus relieving the Government from the burden of its responsibility
towards its citizens.
4-
October
1996: Prime Minister
Rafic Hariri, another ally of Syria, denied, while visiting in Washington
DC, the presence of any Lebanese detainee in Syria, when asked by Human
Rights Watch delegate Houeyda Saad.
5-
November 24, 1996: Lebanese President Elias Hrawi, altered his
previous statement and announced in a Press Conference that Syria holds
210 Lebanese Nationals comprised of 200 Muslims and 10 Christians.
6-
October
1997: the "Lebanese
Committee of the families of Detainees in Syria" was established to
pressure Lebanese authorities to ensure the release of the detainees from
Syria or at least to transfer them to Lebanon to be tried in Lebanese
courts, in case they committed a crime.
7-
February, 28 1998: the President of the Bar Association in Syria
denied the existence of Lebanese prisoners in Syrian detention centers.
8-
March
1998: Syrian authorities
admitted the existence of 155 Lebanese prisoners in Syria. They announced
that 25 more Lebanese would still be held for collaboration with Israel.
9-
March 5 1998: Syrian Authorities ordered the release of 121
Lebanese detainees. Amongst those, were 10 Palestinians.
10-
January 27, 1999: Amnesty International published a detailed
report about Lebanese Detainees in Syria.
11-
September 22, 1999: Adel Khalaf Ajouri, a Lebanese, died
under torture in a Syrian prison. He was kidnapped at a Syrian Checkpoint
in Beirut Airport in May 5, 1990. His family received his remains 30
days later.
12-
January 21, 2000: Prime Minister Salim Al Hoss set up a
commission of inquiry to investigate "disappearances" during the
war between 1975 and 1990. The Commission headed by an Army General
and including four members, officers in the Army, the Surete Generale, the
State Security and the Internal Security was to look into a total of
17,415 people who are listed missing during the war. It was ordered
to report back within three months. No tangible outcome ever
resulted from this commission.
13-
February 17, 2000: A conference to address the fate of scores of
Lebanese jailed in Syrian Prisons was cancelled after Lebanese Security
agents stormed the Conference center and forced it to shut its door to the
participants.
14-
July
2000: Lebanese Officials
close to Syria stated that there are no Lebanese held in Syria.
15-
August 25, 2000: the Syrian authorities released Cheikh Hachem
Minkara, a prominent Islamist activist in Tawhid Movement in Tripoli,
North of Lebanon, who disappeared 15 years ago, and whom Syria had
previously denied holding. It also released Samir Al-Hassan,
military official in Tawhid Movement.
16-
September
2000: Lebanese Human
Right Organizations and Dozens of Lebanese Families held a demonstration
near the Maronite Christian Patriarchate and accused Syria of having
illegally jailed Lebanese opponents. Syria denied the accusation.
17-
September 26, 2000: a statement was released by a large gathering
of 99 Syrian individuals, including intellectuals, artists, engineers and
journalists calling on the Syrian Government to cancel the state of
emergency and the martial law, to grant amnesty for all political
detainees and to allow for political freedoms.
18-
September 30, 2000: SOLIDE (Support for Lebanese in Detention and
Exile) organized in Lebanon on the road leading to Baabda Presidential
Palace a demonstration of 300 relatives of Lebanese detained in Syria.
Representatives of the families were finally granted an interview with an
official at the Lebanese Defense Ministry.
19-
October 1, 2000: an official Syrian source admitted for the
first time that Syria is holding Lebanese prisoners, but said that they
number fewer than 50.
20-
December
2000: Nabih Berri, the
Lebanese Speaker of the House, who is also close to the Syrian regime,
mentioned after his visit with the Maronite Patriarch, the possible
release of Lebanese Detainees from Syrian jails.
21-
December 6, 2000: Lebanon National News Agency (NNA) published an
official statement that the Lebanese President Emile Lahoud received a
letter from Syrian President Bashar al Assad regarding the release of
“Lebanese detainees” from Syrian jails. This Syrian initiative is a
reward to the Lebanese President for his national stands, in regards to
the struggle with Israel and to the support of the Syrian presence in
Lebanon.
A committee of top Lebanese Security Officials
was formed to take charge of receiving the prisoners and studying their
files. The Committee was headed by State Prosecutor Adnan Addoum and
included Director of Surete Generale, Major General Jamil Sayyed, Director
of the Internal Security Forces Major General Abdel-Karim Ibrahim, and
Director of Military Intelligence, Colonel Raymond Azar.
22-
December
2000: Syria hands over
to Lebanese Military Officials who traveled to Syria 54 prisoners, 46
Lebanese, 7 Palestinians and one Egyptian. Two buses carrying the freed
detainees rolled across the Syrian-Lebanese border at high speed, escorted
by seven Lebanese Army jeeps, their sirens wailing. Families who had been
waiting at Masnaa crossing point since early morning were left on the side
of the road, unable to determine whether their loved ones were on the
buses. Photographers could see passengers handcuffed and blindfolded as
the vehicles maneuvered their way past the border checkpoint and down the
road to Chtoura in Lebanon.
23-
December 12, 2000: after mounting pressure from the
Public and the media, State Prosecutor Adnan Addoum makes public the
presence of 95 Lebanese detainees still imprisoned in Syria for
non-political crimes. He declared the matter to be “permanently closed.”
When reminded that both governments had earlier denied the existence of
any Lebanese prisoners in Syria, State Prosecutor Addoum claimed that they
had only denied the existence of “detainees,” not those who had been
convicted of various crimes.
24-
December 26, 2000: As a result of continuing
protest by the families of the Detainees, a statement was issued by the
Lebanese Presidential Palace clarifying that President Lahoud was prepared
to “request the Cabinet, in its next meeting, to set down a mechanism
for investigating the fate of those missing, based on information
submitted by their families to the competent security authorities.”
25-
January 2001: another special commission was
created by the Lebanese government under pressure from the families of the
missing individuals. No official report has been issued yet. However, one
member of the commission declared to the press that the commission had
examined 96 files of Lebanese detainees in Syria.
26-
June 20, 2001, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad during a
visit to France declared that there were no Lebanese prisoners in Syria.
27-
June 2001, soon after this statement
by Syria’s President, Syrian Authorities freed 11 Lebanese and
delivered the remains of one Lebanese who died in jail Khaled Ezzedine
el-Ass. Those released are: Mohammed Ahmed Moussawi, Khalil Ibrahim Hamad,
Badreddine Ajaj Ghandour, Ali Abbas Mazloum, Khaled Ezzedine el-Ass,
Moussis Bedros Moujalian, JamilYoussef Hawach, Ali Merhi Khaled, Yehia
Hassan Awad, Mahmoud Nasr Chandab et Nabil Abdallah Fawaz.
28-
July 22, 2002, the Association of Families of Lebanese
Prisoners Detained in Syria met with the Syrian Minister of the Interior
Ali Hammoud and the Director of Syrian Jails Boghos Sarraj, both admitted
that a number of Lebanese citizens, specifically Lebanese Army personnel,
were being held in Syrian jails. The two Syrian officials promised the
families to review the detainees’ files submitted to them and provide
answers to the families within a 2-3 months period of time. The families
have been waiting since then.
29-
October 11, 2002, Lebanese citizen Henri Badih Daou was
arrested at the Syrian border and detained in isolation. The Syrian
authorities accused him of crimes committed in Lebanon against the Syrian
Army in 1975.
30-
November 9, 2002, the daily Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat published
comments made by Prosecutor General Adnane Addoum in which he admitted the
existence of 20 Lebanese political prisoners in Syria.
31-
December 11,2002 Lebanese MP Mrs. Nayla Moawad addressed the
Commission, headed by Minister Fouad Es-Saad charged with investigating
the fate of Lebanese political detainees in Syria, and questioned the fact
that it had not yet issued any finding to the families and relatives of
the detainees. Ms. Sonia Eid, President of the Association of Families of
Lebanese Prisoners Detained in Syria and whose son Jihad has been held in
Syria since 1990, was present and spoke at the session of Parliament.
Pro-Syrian MPs and Ministers refused to address the issue in Parliament
and accused Mrs. Moawad of taking an anti-Syrian stance harmful to
Lebanon’s sisterly relations with Syria.
32-
May 11, 2003, Hanna Youssef Challita who holds dual
citizenships, Lebanese and Australian, was arrested at the Syrian border
and then incarcerated at the “Palestine Section 235” Investigations
Bureau in Damascus for unknown reasons. Mr. Challita was released few days
later without being charged.
33-
June 9,2003, A delegation of the Association of Families of
Lebanese Prisoners traveled to Damascus to meet with the Syrian President
and discuss the release of their missing relatives, Although they were
originally promised an audience with President Bachar al-Assad, they were
later denied the meeting.
34-
June 25, 2003 Joseph Emile Houeiss, a Lebanese citizen, died
in detention in a Syrian jail after 11 years of detention following a car
accident in Lebanon in which Syrian citizens were killed.
D-
Missing
in Syrian Jails
The following provides testimonies and
background information on a number of detainees in Syrian jails, and whose
existence has been repeatedly denied by Syrian (and Lebanese) authorities.
Their families insist they have seen them and know their whereabouts.
·
Butros
Khawand: Khawand was kidnapped at 9:00 AM on September 15, 1992, about a block
away from his home in Sin-El-Fil, a city controlled by the Syrian Army in
East Beirut. His car was intercepted by a squad of eleven gunmen in a red
van and two cars who forced him into the van and drove away. He has not
been seen since.
In 1982, Khawand was Head of Kataeb Security
Council, the anti-Syrian Christian Militia. Shortly after his second
marriage in 1986, Khawand resigned from all his duties in the Kataeb,
while remaining a member of the party's political bureau
Khawand’s family and various Human Rights
Organizations confirm that he is currently held in Aadra prison in Syria.
Pro-Syrian Lebanese Officials have constantly denied.
·
Beshara
Rumiyeh: Miranda Rumiyeh
spoke about her son Beshara who was taken by Syrian intelligence agents in
the remote town of Riyaq in the eastern Bekaa Valley on March 2, 1978.
“They told us that he was detained because he had a pass from the
National Liberal Party,"-a Lebanese Party politically opposed to
Syrian presence in Lebanon- He was only 16. Miranda Rumiyeh visited
Beshara in a Syrian detention center near the Masnaa main border crossing,
once every two weeks over the next 11 months. "The first time I
saw him, his feet were swollen because he had been beaten. And every time
I visited him, he gave me clothes to wash which were stained with blood,"
she said. One day, she was told that Beshara and other Lebanese detainees
had been transferred to jails inside Syria. That was the last she heard
from him. Beshara did not return home, although Elie, his brother, insists
that a Syrian intelligence officer had confirmed that his name was among
those to be released.
·
Tony
Tamer was born in
Tripoli, North of Lebanon in 1969. He was detained by Syrian
Military in Lebanon on July 7, 1993. Seven months later, his parents
visited him in Mazzeh, a Syrian Prison for the first time, and then they
were allowed to see him every three months. Tony hasn’t been released
yet. Charges against him are so far unknown.
·
Elias
Tanios and Elias Abu Ghosn, 2 Lebanese Internal Security Forces members,
were arrested by Syrian elements in Lebanon in 1992. Elias Tanios
was arrested in December 15, 1992 when the Syrians surrounded the house
where he was staying at Tallet al Khayat and took him with his brother and
his cousin Elias Abu Ghosn handcuffed and blindfolded to Hotel Beaurivage
in Beirut. His brother was released 24 hours later after being
beaten. Elias was taken to Anjar, a Syrian Detention Center in the
Bekaa Valley in Lebanon and then to Mazzeh Prison in Syria. His father
visited him in Mazzeh, seven months after he was taken. The visits then
became regular, once per month. One week before the death of the
Syrian President Hafez al Assad, the family was informed that Elias had
been condemned to ten years in prison on “collaboration charges”, ie
working for Israel, and that they are not authorized to see him anymore.
·
Joseph
Aoun and Tanios Shedid (cousins)
were kidnapped in 1982 by the Syrian Social Nationalist Party- a
Pro-Syrian Lebanese group- when they were on their way to Beirut from
their hometown in Saghbin, West Bekaa. Both the Aoun family and George
Shedid, Tanios’ brother, insist they have a complete list of testimonies
from eyewitnesses proving that their relatives were seen in Syrian prisons
throughout the 1980s, after they were handed over to the Syrians by the
SSNP during Israel’s 1982 invasion. Over the years, the Aouns have tried
in vain to visit Joseph in prison. After meeting with several high-ranking
Lebanese officials, they were told their son was in Syria, charged with
being an Israeli agent and therefore they could not see him.
·
Joseph
Fares, a Lebanese Army
soldier, was arrested in 1984 by Syrian Intelligence agents in Lebanon,
and is still missing.
·
George
Shalaweet: Was abducted
in March 30, 1994 by Syrian Forces in Lebanon. Ayoub and Nadia
Shalaweet visited their son George “more than 20 times” between
1994-1998 in Syria. “We’d go about once every three months,” said
Ayoub. Nadia recalled the site of her shrunken, haggard son the first time
they visited him. “From 95 kilograms, he now weighed 30.” she said.
“He was handcuffed. His feet were swollen. His hair was overgrown and
his beard was down to here,” she added, pointing to her waist.
·
Joseph
Hanna Yammine: born in Aïn
Dara in 1960, was arrested in his home in June 1987 by Syrian Intelligence
Services of Zahle, in the Bekaa Valley. He was held for three days in
Chtoura Syrian Detention Center located in Lebanon. Afterwards, he
was taken for five days to Anjar, a Syrian Detention Center in Lebanon and
later transferred to the “Palestinian Branch” in Mazzeh Prison in
Syria. In 1988, his mother Alice visited him in prison. He was
later transferred to Tadmor Syrian Prison and his father visited him there
in 1992. Since 1991, released prisoners visited the Yammine family
upon Joseph’s request. Mansour Eid from Zahle spent four years
with him in prison. “He even described the shirt that I have sent to
Joseph”, said Tony, his brother. Rajah Salloum and Najah Kazoun
from Kib Elias, former prisoners, also saw Joseph in prison. The last news
of Joseph Yammine received by his family were in 1997. He was in Tadmor
Prison in Syria.
·
Two
Antonin Priests, Fathers
Albert Cherfan and Sleiman Abou Khalil were abducted with
their helper Victoria Daccache by Syrian Soldiers on October 13, 1990, in
the Lebanese City of Beit Meri. Written testimonies from
eyewitnesses who gave the two priests water to drink, state that they were
in Syrian military vehicles, transferring them to Syria.
Lebanese State Prosecutor Addoum, a staunch
supporter of Syria, said that the two priests were buried near the Defense
Ministry, along with 25 Syrian soldiers killed in combat in October of
1990.
·
Najib
Jaramani was arrested by
Syrian elements in January 24, 1997 and was visited last in Syrian Prisons
by his parents in 1997.
·
Six
soldiers of the Lebanese Army then under the command of the General Michel
Aoun disappeared on October 13, 1990, following military fighting with the
Syrian Army. They are believed to be held in Syrian jails. They are:
Corporal Johnny Nassif of Battalion 101, Staff Sergeant Marwan Zoghbi of
Battalion 101, Youssef Hasbani, of the Republican Guard, and Privates
Joseph Azar, Elie Haddad and Elias Aoun. Violette Nassif, the mother of
one of the missing soldiers said “Johnny was 26 years old when he was
taken to Syria. The government may have closed the file, but we won’t,”.
“I saw him in 1991 and 1994 in Palmyra Prison (in Syria),” Violette
insisted, saying she was told that another 146 Lebanese were being held
there.
·
Antoine
Zakhour and Salem Nassif: Lebanese Army soldiers were arrested by Syrian
Military in the Lebanese Cities of Beit Meri and Dahr al Wahish, on
October 13, 1990. Their presence in Syria was confirmed following official
documents issued by the Lebanese Ministry of Defense on October 22, 1990.
Amnesty International issued a statement on 12/12/2000 requesting
information on the fate of both men known to be held in Syria.
·
Samir
Mikhayel al Hage: taken
by Syrian Forces from Lebanon and held in Tadmur Syrian Prison for
7 years, now. His parents in Rmeish, a village in South of Lebanon,
contacted al Nahar, a Lebanese newspaper, confirming information their son
is in a Syrian jail, although Syrian authorities deny it.
·
Karam
& Ziad Yussef Morkos (brothers) and Elie Abu Nader, Flutist and two Violinists ages 40, 35 and 40
respectively. Karam and Ziad are from Zakrit village in the Metn
District in East Beirut. On November 21, 1984, the three men were
kidnapped on a checkpoint in Beirut by Syrian Intelligence and Palestinian
“Saiqa” Militiamen loyal to Syria. They were taken to Anjar,
Syrian Intelligence headquarter in Lebanon and then to Saydnayah Syrian
Prison. Karam and Ziad were tried in the Syrian Third Military Court
and sentenced to 50 years of prison on charges of collaborating with
Israel. Elie was sentenced to jail in Saydnayah Syrian Prison.
·
Mohammed
Taan Nasrallah, Adnan Zaki Abou Hamdan and Nasser Hussein Abou Hamdan from Chmestar, Taalabaya and Hazzerta (Lebanese
cities) respectively. Their parents confirm that the three men have
been detained in Syria for 24 years after being arrested in Deir Zannoun,
Lebanon at a Syrian intelligence check-point.
·
Joseph
Houeiss, who was on the
list of the 95 prisoners still detained in Syria after 2000, was held in
the Damascus Central Prison. The Syrian Military Tribunal on February 4,
1994, condemned Joseph Houeiss to 20 years in jail. He was accused of
premeditated murder of two Syrians on the road to Dhour Choueir-Boulogne
Forest in Lebanon. He accidentally ran them over with his car on
June 2, 1992. Houeiss suffered from nervous problems and
severe dizziness, at the time of the accident. Joseph died in
detention on June 25, 2003 in a Syrian jail.
The spokesman for Support for Lebanese in
Detention and Exile (SOLIDE) Ghazi Aad listed the names of detainees whose
presence in Syrian jail was not recognized by Syrian authorities but who
were actually visited by their parents, “some as recently as August
2000.” “No one can convince the parents of Najib Youssef Jarmani, Tony
Geryes Tamer, George Ayoub Shalawit and Milad Barakat that their sons,
whom they saw in Syrian prisons, were figments of their imagination,” he
told reporters. “They visited their sons several times … and no one,
no matter how high-ranking they are, can say this file has been closed.”
E-
From One
Detention Center to Another
After a subject is apprehended in Lebanon
by Syrian elements, he/she is taken from one detention center to another.
The following is the usual order followed. Between brackets are the names
of the Syrian Officers in charge:
·
Original Stops: In
Lebanon
-
American school in Tripoli - North of Lebanon (General
Mohammad Khallouf currently Assistant of General Rustom Ghazaleh, Head of
Syrian Intelligence in Lebanon.)
-
Syrian
intelligence bureau in Sadat street
- Beirut (Colonel Jameh Jameh)
-
Beau Rivage Hotel
in Beirut (General Rustom Ghazaleh,
Head of the Syrian Intelligence in Lebanon).
-
Syrian
intelligence bureau - Near Comfort Hotel – Hazmieh
-
Syrian
intelligence bureau - Chtaura - Beqaa (Colonel Toufic Haydar)
·
Subsequent Stops:
-
To Anjar, the Syrian intelligence headquarters - Beqaa : (Previously Major
General Ghazi Kanaan -currently Head of the Political Intelligence Service
in Syria – Now, General Adnan Balloul - Colonel Amir Kanaan - Colonel
Burhan Kaddour - Colonel Youssef Al Ahmad - Colonel Youssef Abdallah.)
·
Final stop: Syria
-
Palestine Branch(headed by Major General Mazhar
Fares,-Military Intelligence Service)
-
Syrian Prisons:
Saydnaya Prison
Adra Prison
Mazzeh Prison : closed in September 2000 .The
prisoners were transferred to Saydnaya and Adra prisons
according to a Syrian Human Rights Organization.
Tadmur Prison (PALMYRE)
Telfiteh Prison
F-
Testimonies
of Released Detainees
The following are some testimonies from
released Lebanese prisoners who have endured hardship and torture in
Syrian Jails:
·
Joseph
Aziz Haleet:
“I
am a Lebanese Physician from Hawoush Hala, in Riyak, Lebanon. I was
arrested on November 11, 1992 after I attended a lecture at the Lebanese
Law School about Peace in the Middle East. After the lecture, I went
with some friends to a cafe where a person approached me and said he
needed to talk to me. Next thing I knew, he and others were severely
beating me. Then, they took me to the Syrian Intelligence Center in
Damascus where I spent 1600 days in solitary confinement. They questioned
my affiliation with the Lebanese Forces- a Lebanese anti-Syrian Party- and
formally charged me with collaboration with the enemy-Israel. I endured
all sorts of torture and I used to hear horrible sounds from prisoners
being tortured in the Interrogation room. I was allowed 3 trips to
the bathroom per day, each for one minute. If I took a second longer,
I would be beaten severely. I was allowed to take a bath once every
45 or 50 days for 10 minutes. In 1993, I only took 3 baths. In
the entire 4 years, I was only let out of my cell to go to the bathroom,
to the interrogation room or to the Military Hospital, where they treated
my hands, paralyzed from torture. When I was arrested, I weighed 100
Kg. Few weeks later, I weighed 60 Kg. In the winter, I suffered from the
cold temperature in my underground cell with no sunlight. The only means
to relatively warm my body was to put plastic bags on my head and feet
because I was allowed no extra cloth or blanket. In the summer, I
had difficulty breathing from the heat. I used to put my head on the
floor and try to breathe from under the door. The only light I had in my
cell was the one coming through the narrow opening of the door. I
knew what season it was from the clothes the guards wore. My family knew
where I was, two years after my detention but was not allowed to visit me
until after 4 years. I had difficulties interacting with them
because I had forgotten how to speak properly. After four years I
was moved to Mazzeh Prison where I spent 310 days and later I was moved to
Saydnayah Prison until my release. My family was allowed to see me
once every 3 months until January 23, 1999 when I was denied visitations
without any explanation.” When asked how many Lebanese with him in
prison, he answered: “we were 42 in Saydnayah and later more joined us
from Tadmur.”
·
Ali Abou
Dihin: “I am from
Hassbaya and I live in Dikkwani. I spent 13 years in jail in Tadmur
Jail (in Syria) where they beat us regularly.
·
Naji Harb, a Lebanese Army Soldier: - “I was a Aounist-
supporter of ex-Prime Minister General Michel Aoun. I was arrested in July
1990 by a Syrian checkpoint in Beirut. I was then taken to Mazzeh Prison
(in Syria) on January 1, 1991. Then, I was moved to Tadmur Prison (in
Syria) before ending in Saydanaya Prison (in Syria) where I spent the last
eight years of my detention.”
·
Ibrahim
Harshi: “I am from
Tyre. I was arrested in July 1986 on charges of collaborating with
the Israelis. I spent 5 years and 8 months in Mazzeh (Syrian Prison)
and was transferred to Tadmur Prison (in Syria) in 1992 and then to
Saydnayah Prison (in Syria) in 1997.”
G-
Human Rights Groups Positions:
·
Between
January 26 to February 1 1998, several French and International Human Rights
Organizations, particularly Amnesty International, the International
Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), Justice and Peace, SOLIDA (Support for
Lebanese in Arbitrary Detention), the French Human Rights League,
Christian Action for the Abolition of Torture, and International Prison
Observation launched a vast campaign starting from Paris for the
release of Lebanese detainees in Syria, and for the disclosure of all
information pertaining to any Lebanese arrested by Syrian Forces.
·
Amnesty
International through
one of its Official Abdel-Salam Sayyed Ahmad, from their Middle
East Office in London acknowledged that they did not have a definitive
number of Lebanese prisoners in Syria for lack of an official, central
source of information. In 2000, Sayyed Ahmed argued that while the fate of
those Lebanese arrested by or handed over to the Syrian authorities during
the 1970s and 1980s remained shrouded in mystery, this was not the case
with those detained after 1990. “Many of these people have been visited
by their parents,” he said, “The number of 45 detainees remaining is
not accurate. There are many more”. “In fact”, he added, “there
are hundreds who are believed to be there, but we are not sure.”
He also said that the Lebanese Government has a “duty toward those
people and their families, because even if the ones arrested in Syria for
crimes committed in Lebanon, have to be handed over to Lebanese
authorities to serve their time there.”
·
SOLIDE (The Support of Lebanese in Detention and Exile)
a Lebanese Association has been very active on behalf of the Lebanese
detainees and their families. Their President Ghazi Aad organizes meetings,
press conferences and repeatedly demands Syrian Authorities to release
complete lists, with names, numbers, places and all pertinent information
on the status of Lebanese held in Syrian jails. He also asks the Lebanese
Government to establish a permanent office where families of missing
Lebanese can file their inquiries about their disappeared relatives.
·
The
Federation of Human and Humanitarian Rights, another Lebanese group, has been also vocal on
the same issue. Their President Wael Kheir, a Human Rights advocate and
attorney says that lists of detainees' names and confirmed numbers were
still missing, and indicated the absence of fair and public trials. He
also affirms the fact that Lebanese citizens being pulled out of their
country and detained abroad "constitutes a violation of sovereignty
and international laws."
·
MIRSAD (Multi-Initiative on Rights: Search, Assist and
Defend), another Lebanese Human Rights group says through its
President Kamal Batal that “before Syria released 121 Lebanese detainees
in 1998, we had only the names of two of them, so you can imagine how many
they would be at this time.”
·
In
January 2003 the UN
Working Group on arbitrary detention looked into the case of Georges
Ayoub Chalaweet after SOLIDA (Support for Lebanese Detained
Arbitrarily) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
submitted the case of Mr. Chalaweet to the UN in June 2002. An inquiry was
sent to the Syrian authorities who admitted the detention of Mr. Chalaweet
after he was involved in a car accident in Lebanon in 1992 causing
injuries to Syrian elements. Then, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary
Detention issued its conclusion stating: “Georges Ayoub Chalaweet has
been deprived of his liberty since March 30, 1994 without having been
informed of any charge against him, without a court ruling on the legality
of his detention and with no contact whatsoever with his family since
1998, which constitutes a series of grave violations. Such detention is in
contravention of articles 9 and 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and of principles 10 to 12 of the Body of Principles for the
Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment”.
The UN Working Group went on to “request the Syrian government to take
the necessary steps to remedy the situation”.
·
In January 2003, the European Parliament
debated the human rights situation in Lebanon. In particular, the
question of the Lebanese citizens detained in Syria was repeatedly raised
by several MPs belonging to different political groups. As part of the
ratification proceedings for a Partnership Agreement between the European
Union and the Lebanese Government, a resolution was adopted by the
European Parliament on January 16, 2003, pertaining to the status of
Lebanese prisoners illegally held in Syria.
H – Recommendations
In consideration of the above facts and
positions and since the pro-Syrian Lebanese Government refuses to carry
out its responsibilities in this matter and has never demanded that the
rights of Lebanese nationals detained or missing in Syria be upheld, we
strongly recommend the following:
1-
To urge Syrian and
Lebanese authorities to publicly disclose all information past and present
pertaining to Lebanese Nationals held in Syria.
2-
To ask Syria to release all Lebanese individuals
arbitrarily detained in Syria and to return to Lebanon the remains of
those who died while in detention.
3-
To ensure that all
detainees in Syrian jails are granted their basic rights while in
detention. In particular the detainees should be allowed visitation rights
by their families and lawyers, as well as adequate medical care, and
should not be tortured or mistreated.
4-
To demand the
intervention of International Organizations with the purpose of reaching a
humanitarian resolution to this tragedy through an effective mechanism of
negotiation with the Syrian authorities.
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