HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Imprisoned Syrian Human Rights Activist at Risk of Death
What You Can Do
(September 18, 1998)
(1) Send a fax or write a letter to the Syrian ambassador or representative accredited to the country in which you live, expressing your concern about the fact that Nizar Nayouf is serving a ten-year prison sentence for exercising his right to freedom of expression and association; that he is suffering from a life-threatening illness; and that he must immediately receive specialized medical treatment without conditions.
Art from a Syrian Prison
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Further add that, as a humanitarian gesture, the Syrian government should release Nizar Nayouf from prison, where he already has served over seven and a half years of his ten-year sentence. If possible, follow up your appeal the next day with a telephone call to the embassy, asking for information about Nizar's health and the type of the medical treatment that he is receiving, if any.
(2) Send a fax or telegram to your country's embassy in Damascus, Syria, and your country's foreign ministry, urging that diplomats in Damascus take the following three actions immediately:
* Submit a request to Syrian authorities to visit Nizar Nayouf in Mezze military prison.
* Contact Syrian government officials at the highest level and insist that Nizar Nayouf receive proper medical care immediately, without conditions.
* Advocate publicly and privately that Nizar Nayouf should be released from prison on humanitarian grounds.
(3) Write letters to your national newspapers, appealing for Nizar Nayouf to receive immediate and unconditional medical treatment, and calling for his release on humanitarian grounds. If your letter is published, send a copy to the Syrian ambassador or representative in your country, and to Human Rights Watch to post on this Web site.
Contact Information
Selected Addresses of Syrian Embassies in World Capitals
Selected Addresses of Foreign Embassies in Damascus
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