Soparo Kurdish news website

Harsh judgments of the Supreme State Security Court on four detainees from the Kurdish Yekiti Party in Syria

Three human rights organizations – the Kurdish Organization for Defending Human Rights and Public Freedoms in Syria – DAD, Human Rights Organization in Syria – MAF, and the Kurdish Committee for Human Rights – al-Rased report that on Sunday, 18 April 2010 the Supreme State Security Court in Damascus handed down sentences of five years each to:
• Nazmi Abdul Hannan Mohammed,
• Yasha Khaled Qadir
• Dilgesh Shamo Mamo
• Ahmed Khalil Darwish
who are accused of belonging to the Kurdish Yekiti Party in Syria, under Article (267) of the Penal Code that charges them with attempting to annex part of the territory of the State and attached it to a foreign country.

It is also reported that Tahsin Xeyri Mamo was separated from the other four. According to the Kurdish Yekiti Party in Syria sources, the military police in the prison say they have transferred him to the investigation branch linked to military security in Damascus. He has not been heard of for more than a year.

These five people were arrested 31 January 2007 during a raid by a patrol of military security officers at the home of Yasha Khaled Qadir, and were taken to the branch of military security in Aleppo, and then on to the Investigation Branch of the military security in Damascus. After several months the four people mentioned above turned up at the Supreme State Security Court, and they have now been sent to Sednaya Prison.

This harsh sentence issued by the Supreme State Security Court in Damascus for the charges brought has no justification as no Kurdish political party has called for any part of Syria to be annexed. It is merely an excuse to arrest people.

We at International Support Kurds in Syria – SKS join with the three human rights organizations above to condemn the sentences as illegal, coming from an illegal court , and arising from false charges. We call for the repeal of the State of Emergency and martial law in the country, which is used to make arbitrary arrests, and to pass sentencing in the SSSD court.

We call for the release of all these detainees who have been sentenced by the State Security Court in this way. We also call for the instant release of Tahsin Xeyri Mamo, and all prisoners of conscience who have not committed true criminal crimes.

Kurdish Organization for Defending Human Rights and Public Freedoms in Syria (DAD).

Human Rights Organization in Syria – MAF

Kurdish Committee for Human Rights – al-Rased

International Support Kurds in Syria – SKS

Tags: Kurds, political prisoners, Supreme State Security Court, Syria