Human Rights Watch: No freedom, no rights in Syria
Report on Assad's failures during 10-year reign maintains that Syria's secret police detain people without arrest warrants and torture 'with complete impunity.'
By The Associated Press Tags: Syria Bashar Assad Human Rights WatchOn the eve of the 10th anniversary of Syria's Bashar Assad's presidency, an international human rights group published a report on Friday arguing that Assad has done "virtually nothing" to improve human rights and expand freedoms during his decade in power.
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Syrian President Bashar Assad |
| Photo by: Reuters |
In a 35-page report named "A Wasted Decade," the New York-based group Human Rights Watch argued that Assad has failed to deliver on promises of reform when he came to power 10 years ago this month.
"Whether President Assad wanted to be a reformer but was hampered by an entrenched old guard or has been just another Arab ruler unwilling to listen to criticism, the outcome for Syria's people is the same: no freedom, no rights," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
The report comes as Syria tries to emerge from international isolation and improve relations with Arab and Western states. The United States has boosted engagement with Syria in the hopes of drawing the country away from Iran and the militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas.
Syrian officials were not available for comment Friday and generally do not respond to such criticism.
The Syrian leader has slowly moved to lift Soviet-style economic restrictions his father and predecessor, Hafez Assad, left him. He has loosened the reins on banking, sought to attract foreign investment, and encouraged tourism and private education.
But he has not matched his liberal economic policies with any political reforms.
Human Rights Watch said in the report that Syria's secret police detain people without arrest warrants and torture "with complete impunity." The report also cited widespread censorship and banning of websites such as Facebook.
When he first came to power in 2000, Assad allowed political discussion groups to hold small gatherings in a period that came to be known as the "Damascus Spring."
But he soon began to clamp down on pro-democracy activists, sending the regime's secret police to raid their meetings.
"The period of tolerance that followed Assad's ascent to power was short-lived, and Syria's prisons quickly filled again with political prisoners, journalists, and human rights activists," the report said.
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How does a state gain legitimacy ? Syria is rulled by group of criminals. Typical authritarian regime. UN should withdrow the recognition of a state from syria and be treated as terror group, like Talaban. Arabs are simply not cut for democracy, there will never be a democratic Arab state, just look at Arab countries. Arabs has stolen noth Africa from it,s indijeounies, the only land Arabs are entiteled to is Saudi Arabia.
This is an Arab country - they are not supposed to have these unnecessary western freedoms. They better introduce legal marriage with 6 years old girls which really reflects their values.
hypocrisy duplicity and double standard .. if human rights .. united nation ,, amnesty wants to speak loud about no freedom no human rights then they shall point their fingers to the biggest violaters of human rights Israel .
I see you don't really care if people are detained without arrest warrants and if prisons are filled with political prisoners and journalists? All this leaves you indifferent and even reports of tortures are not worthy of writing a single line of condemnation. Yeah,humanists. Rather frustrated anti-Semites using Palestinians as a pretext to unleash your hatred against Jews who gathered in Israel which makes it more difficult to go after them now. I wonder how many of you would be happy to become kapo in Jewish camps of re-education?
The trick used to "out" those who were considered disloyal. Funny some people think Israel should give back the Golan to these fascist maniacs. Yes, and trust them to keep their word about "peace" and not using the land to attack Israel, right? Go figure.
http://www.odf-syria.org/news/news/ribal-alassad-calls-on-the-syrian-regime-to-unleash-social-media-in-speech-to-londons-midatlantic-club
HRW is a deservedly respectable, unbiased organization, and this report is probably mostly accurate. It brings to attention the importance of democracy, and the hampering of improvements when lack thereof.
No mention of the 1.5 million Syrian Kurds who are persecuted and not allowed the Syrian nationality. Human Watch is totally ignorant.
''only'' 100 000 kurds dont have citizenship, & that because their grandfathers came from turkey as refugees and tried to conquer land to form a kurdih state. It's a disgrace & a total shame but yeah get your facts right...
Not! With ties to Iran, hezbollah and hamas, not to mention harboring former Nazis, Israel can't give up the Golan to Assad. Someday the Syrian's themselves will deal with Assad.
thats strange.. nobody cares
Where are the civilezed nations of the world ??
although they also write reports cricising your enemy. but never mind - they're biased, right?
syria is a sad place to be,its got all the no,nos,no freedom,nono history no future no opportunity to advance in life,saddam is an amateur dictator comparing to the assad clan ...
Your lack of education has clearly impeded on your grammatical skills and historical knowledge. Syria has some of the oldest cities and remains in the world.
Saddam is an amateur? I guess you've never been to Iraq in the time Saddam had the power.
Can anyone attempt to answer why, in the 21st. century, the Arabs continue to live in a medieval time warp built on a foundation of fanaticism, misogyny, bigoted intolerance and anti-Semitism?
you've got to be kidding me. and the haredim don't?? how can you possibly be so bigoted in your reasoning/perceptions
Yes they do but they don't force it on anybody Israel is your proof
haredim, there are 1 billion arabs, the majority live in the 15th century
into a huge medieval colony where a Haredim would feel like a beginner seeing all persecutions.murders,honor killings and public executions.But he won't see it because he would be killed immediately if he tried to go there.They don't need more Jews there, they still keep few as a folkloric attraction for shepherds when they come to the city to celebrate the birthday of their divine monarch.
You compare a SEGMENT of Jewish society with the overall state of things in the Arab world? Are the Quakers representative of the United States at large? I don't think so.
A deal with a strong regime is a more secure deal (assuming a non democratic regime). Arab history and tradition favor strong persons running the state. The Syrian border is and was the quietest after 1973 because the regime decided not to get directly involve with border skirmishes, and was able to do it well. Saddam Hussein kept al-Qaida out of Iraq because he wanted to be the sole controller. (Baby Bush didn't take this into account, unfortunately.) Syria seems to be following the path of China, rather than the failed path of the Soviet Union towards democratization. Economic restructuring before openness. It works better, so kudos to Assad.
In Israel, human rights issues are dealt with on the wholesale level. There are potentially millions of cases every day and hardly a day goes by when the Israeli media does not report human rights issues on the part of Israel. This does not mean that the Israeli media has unlimited access to such cases. In fact, the media is kept away from IDF action. The fact is that human rights violations in Israel are part of the daily life and are impossible to cover up. It is expected that there is no nation that is completely free of human rights issues. There are only a few nations on earth that are worse than Israel. Israelis inevitabely use one of these for comparison to make Israel look marginally better. Both Syria, and Iran are far better on human rights issues than Israel. Israeli Jews will object and say, "I have never experienced human rights violations in Israel. This does not happen as reported". This attitude only shows how far removed they are from reality. They neither know nor care what happens to the millions of Palestinians under Israels control.
you lie you lie you lie Israel is under the microscope, of people like you looking for the smallest error to blow out of proportion. Syria and Iran can not compare to Israel in openess freedom of speak, press etc. Which is as free as any European country
did you finish high school?
She offers no facts, presents no evidence, cites no sources to support her opinion so how can it be a lie. It's just another intellectually lazy poster on Talkback expressing their not very well researched or supported opinion. Why should you care.
more likely, "Finished her High School"
ASSad has always been known as a weak sister of the ME. The only way dictators stay in power is through riding roughshod through their conquered peoples rights. WAY PAST THE time for a regime change to democracy!
The sad truth is, the Middle Eastern dictatorships like Syria, Libya, etc. would be taken over by frothing-at-the-mouth fundamentalists. They're there, waiting. The people are stupid and will elect them, just as the Gazan Arabs elected crazy Hamas. I hate to say it but we might be better off with these nasty dictatorships than the alternative. Democracy seems to be centuries away in these countries.
Is there freedom in Israel for Palestinians.
In Israel there is freedom for Arabs, for the Palestinians...well they seem to be in the process of establishing their own state
All these Pansy Liberals who are siding with their Palestinian Brothers and Sisters Why do they not go to Syria and Iran and Saudi Arabia and protest those Governments who are oppressing their own people Oh I know why, because they could really care less about "human rights" abuse and they are really looking for a solution to this middle east crisis, and their solution is to see the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people
I just find it incredible how these people turn everything into a scenario about Israel. If Syria does this, then....well look what Israel does...reminds me of nursery school.
they are silly enough to think that protests might work in a democracy but are quite unlikely to work in a dictatorship? But I'm sure you like your explanation better...
Well if Israel is a dictatorship, I'm a billionaire.
latest (this week) massacres of kurdish civilians by the syrian elite force.
Look what the same organzation has to say about Israel: http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/israel/ Sounds like Syria gets a "D", but "the most moral country in the world" gets an "F"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obUhOcTSD1I
i watched the video and heard nothing but the usual right-wing whining that others are worse so why focus on Israel. Why? Because Israelis make so much of the fact that Israel is a democracy and "a light unto the world."
of years. but u have to have the vision and ability to see the light, you obviously do not.
as anti-semites, pro-arab, biased, and terrorist supporters. As one can see, they oppose all human rights abuses, whether from arab countries or Israel. Next time they criticize Israel, keep it in mind.
The only democracy in middle east " look what they are producing Netanyahu , Liberman . And killing civilians , steal land and drmolish non jewish homes very sad & bad example of democracy !! Hmmmm. I wonder if Israel didn't have democary , how it would be ???
Lets ban all oil exports and borrowing billions from Arab countries...!
nobody is asking for democracy, just lift the communistic economic restrictions & everything will slowly be fine. But I guess they know that evantually people will earn money & money means power. But one thing that I have to be honest about is that they'r e very good on capturing muslim brotherhood terrorist! So , the jail is filled with them too, not only journliasts, human right activists etc.
Wow, Does this mean that Israel haters will now post why they were wrong and that the Golan is Israel.
Since Israel arrests under administrative detention without any evidence of crime and tortures prisoners, how is Israel is any better than Syria?
Truth is Syria has never been good on this front---but at least it is not continually claiming to be Democratic and a light unto Nations. Like you know who.
light unto the nations for thousands of years. but the miracle of Israel and the Jewish people rising from the ashes, unequaled since 1948, would be good enough. It a shame that billions of people live in nation states as corrupt and tortured as Syria duplicate
achievements really bug you. I mean the Assad's have killed thousands of their own
of the First Night ? And many a night subsequently ?
They don't come any more,"Sleekit" than this. I know they murder their own people but they've "never been good on this front".Unlike Sri Lanka,Somalia, Yemen, Burma, Afghanistan, Iraq,Iran, Sudan, Burma and Yemen where it's considered a GIFT.
who refuses to accept there is any difference between those who abuse their enemies and those who abuse their own people. I'm referring to stoning, Lashing and torturing for illicit affairs. I'm referring to the 300,000 raped and tortured Muslims in Sudan. etc...
What did you expect from an insecure man with no vision? He seeks only to mantian his petty life style at the expense of everyone else.