Last update - 00:00 30/10/2007
Syrians stage sit-in to demand Israeli release of prisoners
By DPA
Dozens of Syrians staged a sit-in outside the offices of the International Red Cross in Damascus on Tuesday to demand that Israel release Syrian and other Arab prisoners from its jails.
The protesters, carrying photos of the Syrian detainees, handed a letter to the Red Cross representative in Damascus, Jean Jacques Fresard and addressed to the head of the organization in Geneva, seeking help to ensure a swift release of all prisoners and end their suffering.
The message said there were more than 11,000 Arab prisoners, including 17 Syrians, in Israeli jails. Some of the prisoners suffer from deteriorating health, the letter said.
It indicated that four of the Syrian detainees have been in prison for more than 22 years.
The message said the detainees were subject to "circumstances of repression and ... the ugliest forms of torture."
It urged all humanitarian organizations to move quickly to pressure Israel to release all prisoners.