SYRIAN SECURITY officers have reportedly raided the dormitories of Aleppo University following an attack on students protesting against the government by loyalist students, allegedly armed with knives.
Security agents used live fire and tear gas yesterday to disperse protesters, killing four and making 200 arrests, according to the London-based opposition Observatory for Human Rights. The Syria-based Local Co-ordinating Committees put the death toll at five and the detainees at 50.
The Syrian branch of the Arab Human Rights Organisation told The Irish Times that at least two students had been killed and 30 wounded, but would not confirm these figures until the names of victims could be verified.
Its head, Mahmoud Muri, said his branch, established in 2004, was the only Arab affiliate without a licence. While the authorities “look the other way”, allowing it to function, the organisation was under a “tremendous amount of pressure” to keep a low profile, because of the threat of arrest and curb on activities.
Nevertheless, the branch carries on under the umbrella of the Arab body. Although Syrians lack experience in human rights advocacy, the branch has 300 members, all volunteers, who take part in monitoring, documenting, and providing legal aid to detainees.
Recently, 35 volunteers received training in Cairo from the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, supported by Trócaire and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Mr Muri, a lawyer and former detainee, said : “We have no one fully dedicated to our work. We don’t even have a headquarters. We meet in our homes and offices. We issue a periodical on the culture of human rights and a monthly electronic bulletin. Since the beginning of the revolution, we have been issuing daily statements in co-operation with five other organisations.”
These organisations give the names of civilian and military fatalities – those wounded, detained and disappeared – along with their home towns.
“There are approximately 12,500 deaths, 25,000 injured, 20,000 currently under arrest, and 5,000 disappeared,” about whom there is no information, he said. “Since March 2011, 200,000 have entered prison and been released.”
“We co-operate with the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and with the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network.”
Mr Muri was critical of the West for “dealing exclusively with people outside Syria” and making “it difficult for people inside Syria to deal with external human rights bodies”. This lack of communication had been exacerbated by the withdrawal of ambassadors by the US and many EU countries.
“We used to have contact with them,” he said, adding that he did meet Irish ambassador Isolde Moylan, who is based in Cairo, earlier this month.
He was also critical of the UN observer mission, which is expected to deploy 300 monitors at full strength in several weeks’ time. “In these circumstances, if the mission is to be successful, we need 3,000 observers” to cover the entire country.
Although “all five permanent members of the security council approved the mission, several parties are working to make it fail, including the regime, the armed opposition, neighbouring countries, countries supporting the armed opposition and council members”.
He pointed out that Saudi Arabia and Qatar were providing weapons to the rebels, that Turkey and Jordan allowed arms to enter Syria and that the US and its allies were supplying political and material support to the rebels.
“We believe that the spread of weapons will lead the country to disaster and chaos and escalate violence,” Mr Muri added.
“If the Annan mission is successful, we will develop a political solution under Arab and international sponsorship. This is the best way to go.”
The son of Ali Haidar, leader of the Syrian Social National Party, which is standing for election to parliament on Monday, was killed by gunmen late on Wednesday in the Homs area, while two sons of opposition journalist Faiz Sara were arrested yesterday.
