MIDDLE EAST: Weekly update of human rights violations in the
region (30 Nov – 07 Dec 2006)
07 Dec 2006 14:58:33 GMT Source: IRIN
DUBAI, 7 December (IRIN) - EGYPT: Lawyers protesting again and Nour back in court CAIRO, (IRIN) - In Egypt, around 100 members of the Lawyers' Syndicate and
other civil society activists joined a protest on Wednesday at the syndicate's headquarters in Cairo against "the crimes of torture committed by the security services". Under banners reading "No to
Oppression, No to Torture", video footage of alleged incidents of police brutality was broadcast to bystanders and passing traffic. In recent weeks, a number of videos have appeared on the Internet
that appear to depict acts of torture and mistreatment in Egyptian police stations. "All elements of civil society should take a stand against these filthy acts perpetrated against Egyptian citizens,"
a spokesman for the syndicate told IRIN.Some 40 Egyptian human rights organisations took part in the protest, including the Egyptian Human Rights Organisation, the Egyptian Centre for Human Rights
and the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights. Meanwhile, former presidential candidate Ayman Nour, serving a five-year prison sentence for a much-contested fraud conviction, appeared in a Cairo court
on Tuesday on further charges relating to an alleged confrontation with a supporter of the ruling party during the presidential poll last year. Following the trial, which has been adjourned awaiting
a verdict, Nour was transferred to Kasr el-Aini hospital for medical treatment. The former MP has been awaiting treatment for heart disease since May, which his family say was denied to him for
political reasons. SYRIA: Alleged Islamists imprisoned DAMASCUS, (IRIN) - Syria's State Security Court (SSSC) sentenced four Syrians to prison terms ranging from 45 days to five years on 3
December on charges that a local rights group said were connected to alleged membership of an Islamic group.The men were convicted of having contacts with "a secret association that aims to change
Syria's economic and political situation", according to the National Organisation for Human Rights (NOHR).Condemning the "unjust" sentences, the NOHR said the men were convicted by the SSSC for
alleged membership of the Islamic Liberation Party, previously unheard of in Syria. The SSSC has been widely criticised by international rights groups for failing to meet international standards for
fair trials.Meanwhile, the trial of Anwar Bunni, a leading human rights lawyer imprisoned since May, was set for 19 December while the trial of Kamal Labwani, an activist imprisoned since November
last year, was postponed until 10 December.Hassan Abdel Azim, a spokesman for opposition group the National Democratic Gathering, was sentenced to one month in prison and a fine of $20 by a military
judge on charges related to his opposition politics. YEMEN: Editor fined, activist sentenced to death and a student detained SANAA, (IRIN) - On Wednesday, a court fined Mohammed al-Asaadi, the
editor-in-chief of the Yemen Observer, a bi-weekly English newspaper, 5 million riyals (US $2,500) for republishing the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. This was despite protests by Yemeni
journalists who said charges against three Yemeni newspapers that reprinted the controversial cartoons should be dropped. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the verdict. "We're
relieved that today's court decision spared our colleague from prison, but we reject the notion that he somehow committed a crime, and we remain concerned about the repercussions of this prosecution
on his safety," Joel Simon, CPJ Executive Director, said.Meanwhile, on 30 November, Amnesty International condemned the death sentence passed on Ibrahim Sharaf al-Din by the Specialised Criminal
Court. "He was tried in proceedings that fell short of international standards for fair trials," said the London-based organisation. According to Amnesty, Sharaf al-Din was among 37 members of the
Shi'a Zaidi community charged in connection with an alleged "plot to kill the President [Ali Abdullah Saleh] and senior army and political officers".Scores of students staged a sit-in on Tuesday at
Sana'a University protesting against the detention on Monday of their colleague Jamil Shaaf who they said was being held incommunicado.jb/hm/maj/ar/ed
