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17 September 2010

UA 203/10 Risk of torture

SYRIA Tal al-Mallohi (f)

Tal al-Mallohi, a 19-year-old Syrian woman, has been held incommunicado at a State Security branch in Damascus for
nearly nine months. Amnesty International believes she may be a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful
exercise of her right to freedom of expression. She is at grave risk of torture and other ill-treatment.

Tal al-Mallohi, a resident of Homs, in central Syria, has not been seen since 27 December when she traveled to
Damascus, the capital, to visit a State Security branch, after she had been summoned for questioning. State Security is
one of several branches of the Syrian security forces, all of which regularly detain people on even the slightest suspicion
of opposition to the government.

Two days later, officers from State Security visited Tal al-Mallohi‟s family home and confiscated her computer, some
CDs, notebooks and a mobile phone.

Officials at State Security have told Tal al-Mallohi‟s family that they are holding her, but have not revealed the reasons
for her arrest and refused to let them visit her. According to Tal al-Mallohi‟s family, she has no political affiliations, but
suspect that her detention may partly be related to poems and articles on various political and social issues that she has
written and published in a blog (http://talmallohi.blogspot.com); some of the material contains references to restrictions
on freedom of expression in Syria.

Ever since her arrest, Tal al-Mallohi‟s family have regularly visited the State Security branch in Damascus to seek
information about their relative and to try to see her. Initially officials invited them inside and provided limited details
about the circumstances of her detention, but subsequently confined themselves to vague reassurances about her health
at reception. The family also submitted three written visitation requests to State Security and in September posted on the
internet two appeals to the Syrian President urging him to intervene for her release. As far as Amnesty International is
aware no response has been made to any of these requests or appeals.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Freedoms of expression and association are strictly controlled in Syria, aided by “state of emergency” laws which have
been in force since 1964. Only the Ba‟ath Party and some parties linked to it are officially recognized as political parties
in Syria and human rights organizations are not authorized to operate. Human rights defenders, government critics and
advocates of political reform face constant harassment, arbitrary arrest and detention.

In particular, a number of young people in Syria have been sentenced in recent years for their roles in publishing
politically sensitive material on the internet. In September 2009, the Supreme State Security Court (SSSC) sentenced

Amnesty International's mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the
rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the
context of its work to promote all human rights.
Kareem „Arabji, a blogger then aged 31, to three years in prison for moderating an internet youth forum. He was
reported to have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated during prolonged pre-trial incommunicado detention. Kareem
„Arabji was later released under a presidential amnesty.

In June 2007 seven men - „Allam Fakhour, Ayham Saqr, Diab Siriyeh, Hussam „Ali Mulhim, Maher Isber Ibrahim, „Omar
„Ali al-„Abdullah and Tareq al-Ghorani – were sentenced by the SSSC to lengthy prison sentences for their involvement
in developing an on-line youth discussion group and publishing articles on the internet advocating democratic reform.
They were reported to have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated during prolonged pre-trial incommunicado detention in
the custody of Air Force Intelligence. They were aged between 21 and 30 at the time of their arrests in early 2006.

There are widespread reports of torture and other ill-treatment in Syria‟s detention and interrogation centers, police
stations and prisons. In 2009, seven people were reported to have died as a possible result of abuses in custody. The
authorities took no action to investigate these allegations, as far as Amnesty International is aware. “Confessions”
extracted under duress are systematically used as evidence in Syrian courts, and the defendants‟ claims that they have
been tortured or otherwise ill-treated are almost never investigated.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:

 Expressing concern that Tal al-Mallohi may be a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of
her right to freedom of expression;
 Demanding that the authorities release her immediately and unconditionally if this is the case;
 Calling on the authorities to ensure that she is not exposed to torture or other ill-treatment, and reminding them that
Syria is a state party to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment;
 Urging the authorities to immediately allow her visits from her family, access to a lawyer of her choosing and any
medical treatment she may require.

APPEALS TO: COPIES TO:

President Minister of Foreign Affairs

Bashar al-Assad Walid al-Mu‟allim
Presidential Palace Ministry of Foreign Affairs
al-Rashid Street al-Rashid Street
Damascus, SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC Damascus, SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Fax: 011 963 11 332 3410 Fax: 011 963 11 214 6251
Salutation: Your Excellency Salutation: Your Excellency

Minister of Interior Ambassador Dr Imad Moustapha

Major Sa‟id Mohamed Samour Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic
Ministry of Interior 2215 Wyoming Ave. NW
„Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar Street Washington DC 20008
Damascus, SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC Fax: 1 202 234 9548 OR
Fax: 011 963 11 222 3428 1 202 265 4585 OR
Salutation: Your Excellency 1 202 232 4357
Email: info@syrembassy.net

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.

Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 29 October 2010.