Margareta Viklund: An Open Letter to the Ambassador of Syria

Your Excellency Mr. Mohammed Bassam Imadi,

As of today no one knows how many persons have been sent to the Syrian prisons without trials and sentences. The families of the prisoners are not informed on how their imprisoned relatives are treated, if they have been tortured or, sometimes, if they are even alive at all.

The board of The Swedish Committee for Assyrians, SKA, has received information that an Assyrian man, Yacoub Hanna Shamoun, has been detained for the last twenty years in the prison of Al-Saydnaia without a fair trial or sentence and repeatedly tortured.

The tragedy of Yacoub Hanna Shamoun began in 1985 when he returned to Syria with his family. He had been working in Lebanon since 1972. Despite promises of amnesty Yacoub Hanna and his brother were both imprisoned on their return to Syria. His brother has been released, but not Yacoub.

The treatment of Yacoub Hanna Shamoun is completely at odds with the promises of the Syrian state to implement human rights and juridical principals of justice in the country.

Claims of open, honest and just trials, an independent judicial system and functioning human rights in Syria are thus consequently not true.

With reference to all human rights and a fair trial, the board of the Swedish Committee for Assyrians, SKA, demands that the Assyrian Yacoub Hanna Shamoun be released immediately from prison and given a free and just trial.

Margareta Viklund
Chairwoman of the Swedish Committee for Assyrians

Cc:
The Prime Minister of Sweden, Mr Göran Persson
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the UN General assembly, Mr Jan Eliasson
The Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Carin Jämtin
The High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union, Mr Javier Solana
The General Secretary of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan
Amnesty International

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