TruthNews

Syrian Kurd Sentenced

Gary Fitleberg, December 26, 2004

According to the Associated Press, a Syrian sentenced a Kurdish man to four years in jail after convicting him of belonging to a banned association, working for sedition and harming relations with a friendly country, a human rights activist said.

Anwar al-Buni, a lawyer and member of the Human Rights Association in Syria, said in a statement faxed to foreign news agencies in Syria that Kaw Mohammad Hanan, 27, was a member of the outlawed Kurdish Workers Party, PKK, and had been arrested earlier this year.

Al-Buni said Sunday's sentence handed down by the State Security Court showed that Syrian authorities are determined "to suppress and terrorize human rights activists and advocates of free opinion," and disregard all humanitarian values and international agreements.

Decisions by the State Security Court, which was created under Syria's 1963 emergency laws and where cases are often heard by military judges, cannot be appealed.

It was the first conviction in Syria of a member of the PKK, whose leader Abdullah Ocalan is imprisoned in Turkey. It appeared to be an attempt by Syria to further consolidate its relations with Turkey, which were marred by tensions for much of the 1980s and 1990s when Turkey accused Syria of harboring Turkish Kurd guerrillas, including Ocalan.

Relations improved after 1998 when Syria, bowing to Turkish pressure, expelled Ocalan. The following year Ocalan was captured and imprisoned in Turkey. Since then, relations have improved steadily and were capped this week by leaders of both countries signing a trade agreement during a visit by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Damascus.

Syrian Kurds have long complained they lack basic rights and say the government neglects areas of northern Syria where they live. There are about 1.5 million Kurds in Syria, including about 160,000 who are denied citizenship in Syria, a nation of 18.5 million people.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.