Have you seen these men?
The whereabouts of the 22 Syrians below are unknown. Their families don't know if they're alive or dead. The authorities refuse to disclose any information about their whereabouts or their well-being. Today is the International Day of the Disappeared, and we need your voice to put pressure on the authorities, and to show support for the families left in anguish, with no information.
Send a tweet in solidarity with the missing of Syria
Show that you're standing with the families of the missing of Syria by sending a tweet to the Russian authorities. Urge them to use their influence over Assad, and get the Syrian government to tell the families of the disappeared where they are, and if they're still alive.
Tweet #eyesonsyria Syrians subjected to enforced disappearance. @KremlinRussia_E urge #Syria to disclose fate & whereabouts !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
Tweet #eyesonsyria .@KremlinRussia_E urge #syria to inform relatives of the whereabouts of their disappeared family members !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
The Syrian disappeared
Since protests broke out in Syria in February 2011, thousands of suspected opponents of the government have been arrested and 'disappeared'. Some have been released after months of secret detention, while the whereabouts of others, like the 22 men below, remain unknown.
Some of those who have been released have told us that they were tortured or abused whilst held. During their detention they were deprived of any communication with the outside world. Disappearances of this kind are not new in Syria and this isn't a response to the latest round of protest in the country. We've been documenting cases of enforced disappearances since the late 70s and throughout Assad's time as President.
First-hand research from Syria
We've been working hard to ensure that the human rights abuses occurring in Syria are being documented and publicised, and our researcher has gathered evidence first-hand from cities such as Aleppo. Read our latest report from Aleppo.
Our blogs are written by Amnesty International staff, volunteers and other interested individuals, to encourage debate around human rights issues. They do not necessarily represent the views of Amnesty International.
Is there any particular reason Amnesty is only looking into disappearances when the regime is suspected of involvement? What about the vanishing of pro-Assad people, Iranians, or Armenians etc. ? Is Amnesty only working the one side of this civil war?
Robert Fisk: Inside Daraya - how a failed prisoner swap turned into a massacre
Exclusive: The first Western journalist to enter the town that felt Assad's fury hears witness accounts of Syria's bloodiest episode
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-inside-daraya--how-a-failed-prisoner-swap-turned-into-a-massacre-8084727.html
Then again, what's to be gained, the armed opposition do have a reputation for mass killings of hostages, prisoners etc.
'FSA spokesman Kassem Saadeddine said the plane was a MiG-23BN and that the pilot was from Zahraa, an Alawite district of the city of Homs.
“He is a member of a squadron I used to fly with... before I defected,” he told AFP via Skype. “I served with him for 15 years, and he is a staunch enemy of the revolution.”
What about that prisoner? Why is Amnesty only doing brazenly one-sided human rights? I bet they murdered him, because they're sectarian primitives, they can't help themselves. amnesty is backing a losing horse with the opposition in Syria, they're sectarian degenerates and it shows.
The armed opposition split prisoners up by religion for goodness sake! Is Amnesty prepared to work for the well-being of at least ONE prisoner in a non-sectarian fashion? Your present campaigns are religiously biased.
'Citing acquaintances in Daraya, Sallum's son Mohammed said his mother was kidnapped by the rebel Free Syrian Army on Saturday alongside her husband and several other residents of the town. The rebels, he said, promised they would set them free the next day. "The rebels were getting ready for a prisoner exchange with the army, but the operation went wrong," said Mohammed. "There was bombing and fighting, and the rebels killed their hostages."
http://www.france24.com/en/20120903-lebanese-learn-mothers-slaying-syria-tv
I ask again, why only prisoners from one side of the conflict?
I think Amnesty should put pressure on the FSA to stop kidnapping people. Because one ends up with a heap of dead bodies and the FSA blaming it all as usual on the nasty old regime.
It is the same threadbare story time after time. Everybody is a liar except the FSA.
Gregory
3 comments