His Excellency Hafez al-Assad
Presidential Palace
Abu Rummaneh
Al-Rashid Street
Damascus, Syria

Your Excellency:

I am writing to express my concern for Aktham Nu’aysa, a Syrian lawyer who was unjustly sentenced in 1992 to nine years in prison because of his peaceful activities calling for human rights reform in your country. He and 16 others wrote and produced a leaflet about human rights violations in Syria, in association with the Committee for the Defense of Democratic Freedoms and Human Rights (CDF). For this they were wrongly charged with "publishing false information," "receiving money from abroad" for the CDF, and "withholding information" about their activities.

Their trial before the Supreme State Security Court was a travesty of justice. The defense lawyers were denied access to the defendants and were not allowed adequate time to prepare their case and produce witnesses. The prosecution evidence was based largely on the evidence of "confessions" extracted under torture. It is my understanding that Aktham Nu’aysa had been tortured so badly by the security forces that he was unable to walk into the courtroom.

Aktham Nu’aysa, who is in his late 40’s, is currently being held at Saidnaya Prison in incommunicado detention, and is suffering from both kidney and eye problems. I am concerned that his health could deteriorate further and he could go blind unless he receives medical attention outside the prison soon. Furthermore, I believe he did nothing wrong to warrant imprisonment, and so I urge your government to release this man, immediately and unconditionally.

All people in Syria, including Aktham Nu’aysa, should have the right to actively and peacefully oppose human rights violations, denounce such violations whenever they occur, and give their support to the victims. They should not be imprisoned or tortured for their efforts and, if ever accused of wrong-doing, they have the right to a fair and public trial before an independent and impartial court. Clearly, these rights were denied Aktham Nu’aysa. I hope you will use your influence to see that he freed.

Respectfully yours,