(New York, August 31, 2007) – The Syrian authorities should reveal the fate of Ali al-Barazi, a translator who has been missing for the past month after being summoned by Military Intelligence, Human Rights Watch said today.
“We’re concerned that government forces may have ‘disappeared’ Ali al-Barazi,” said Joe Stork, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch. “This is an extremely serious crime under international law, and we hold the government fully responsible for his well-being and safe return to his family.”
Human Rights Watch said that the government should release al-Barazi immediately unless there is evidence that he has committed a criminal offense. In that case, the authorities should refer him to the prosecutor and accord him his due process rights, including immediate access to a lawyer, a medical examination, and a hearing before a competent, independent judicial authority to determine the lawfulness of his continued detention.
Al-Barazi works as a translator at the Syrian European Documentation Center (SEDC), a Damascus-based private company. Among other clients, SEDC translates documents produced by Human Rights Watch into Arabic for publication on its Arabic-language website. SEDC does not translate work produced by Human Rights Watch on Syria.
Related Material
Human Rights Watch letter to President Bashar al-Asad on Ali al-Barazi
Letter, August 27, 2007
More of Human Rights Watch's work on Syria
Country Page, July 11, 2006