Assad revokes citizenship of politician who visited Knesset - Haaretz

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		Exiled Syrian opposition member Farid Ghadry. (AP)

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Last update - 23:27 15/09/2007

Assad revokes citizenship of politician who visited Knesset

By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz service

Syrian President Basher Assad revoked the citizenship of exiled Syrian opposition member Farid Ghadry of the Syrian Reform Party, the government-affiliated Syria News Website reported Saturday.

The official reason for the revocation of Ghadry's citizenship is his appearance before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in June. Ghadry visited at the invitation of committee chairman MK Tzachi Hanegbi.

"This demonstrates how Syrians striving for true peace with Israel are persecuted for their beliefs by a regime that claims it wants peace, but supports terror," Ghadry told Haaretz.

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Citizenship revocation is a rare move that under certain circumstances can be viewed as a violation of international law. There are no other known incidents of recent citizenship revocation in Syria.

In 1962, Syria revoked the citizenship of 120,000 Kurds in a move to suppress Kurdish nationalism.

Ghadry left Syria with his family at the age of 10. He founded the Syrian Reform Party in the U.S. in the wake of the September 11 attacks. His opponents claim the he does not represent anyone, and that he is a "pretend" exiled Syrian leader.

No similar move was taken by Syria against Syrian-American businessman Ibrahim Suleiman, who also appeared before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, despite reports that the Syrian government had warned him the he would be punished.

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1.	EU take note, Syria wants peace!	23:26	\|	Joe Sittizen	15/09/07

2.	Assad, Man of Peace !	23:28	\|	Yoram	15/09/07

3.	They can have Azmi Bishara in exchange - and welcome	23:36	\|	Jasmine Murphy	15/09/07

4.	Is Israel above the law?	00:01	\|	Marcel	16/09/07

5.	Viva the Syrian democracy	00:16	\|	Rafa	16/09/07

6.	Assad revokes citizenship	00:21	\|	akiva patysh	16/09/07

7.	To Marcel	00:59	\|	Avi (from Poland)	16/09/07

8.	#3 Marcel	01:50	\|	D	16/09/07

9.	LISTEN to the screams of selective outrage if Bishara got this	03:54	\|	PETER S .M.	16/09/07

10.	MARCEL Got news for you.Israel has NO peace treaty with Syria	03:59	\|	PETER S.M.	16/09/07

11.	Macel	04:51	\|	Alex	16/09/07

12.	To Yorum: Right on. Syria Must Be Hit Hard	05:27	\|	Dave Levy	16/09/07

13.	To #3: No.	05:31	\|	Bernie	16/09/07

14.	It`s Syria That is the Criminal In all This	05:33	\|	Dave Levy	16/09/07

15.	# 3, MARCEL	08:53	\|	indrajaya	16/09/07

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