VII. Response of the International CommunityThe international community’s response to the restrictions and harassment facing Syrian human rights activists has been to try to increase their institutional capacity, and to monitor their arrests and trials. However, these efforts have generally been limited in scope and have failed to change the behavior of the Syrian authorities. The EU, EU countries, the US, and Canada, have provided training and capacity building for Syrian human rights activists to assist them in institutionalizing their work. For instance, many Western embassies in Damascus have offered practical courses to activists in writing grant proposals, effective management of NGOs, and even English.95 However, the impact of these efforts has been restricted to a few individuals because many younger activists are fearful that any association with a foreign embassy will expose them to additional scrutiny by the security services. 96 In addition, a number of activists told Human Rights Watch that since they are not legally registered, they don’t have the institutional framework to benefit from capacity building programs.97 When the European Commission tried to further its activities by directly funding a center in Damascus that will provide human rights training, the Syrian authorities shut down the center before it even became operational, and jailed and fined Anwar al-Bunni, the Syrian human rights lawyer selected to run the center (see Section V.C, above). In addition to offering limited logistical support to local human rights activists, Western diplomats in Damascus have been active in monitoring the detention and trial of activists. Diplomats attended the trials of prominent activists like Dr. Kamal Labwani (see Section V.C) and Anwar al-Bunni before the Damascus criminal courts. Since 2004, diplomats can attend trials at the State Supreme Security Court.98 While the presence of diplomats at trials is important and represents a source of relief for the activists and their families, it has not had any tangible effect on guaranteeing fairer trials for the activists as evidenced by the harsh sentences against Labwani and al-Bunni. The EU, EU countries, the US, and Canada, have also issued a number of public statements condemning the harassment and arrests of human rights activists. For example, since 2005 the European Parliament has adopted four resolutions calling on Syria to respect the rights of activists; 99 in 2007 so far the EU Presidency has issued three separate statements expressing its concern about the sentences imposed on four human rights activists; 100 in April 2007, the EU and US issued a joint statement noting that “they remain deeply concerned about the role Syria plays within the region and its repression of civil society; ”101 and the US State Department and the White House have also issued a number of statements condemning the harassment, arrest, and sentencing of Syrian activists.102 However, these condemnatory statements have had little impact on the Syrian authorities. Part of the problem is that the governments and international institutions issuing these statements have not incorporated the requirement that Syria needs to respect human rights into their core foreign policy. This was most evident when Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, failed to publicly raise the issue of Syria’s repression of human rights activists when he met Bashar al-Asad in March 2007.103 A number of European and American diplomats in Syria told Human Rights Watch that they did not have a unified view on the measures that should be taken to improve Syria’s human rights record, and that a number of their governments were keen to engage with Syria even before it improved its human rights record because the hope was that better relations will increase their leverage with the authorities.104 This approach has led many Syrian activists to feel that the international community is not committed to protecting them or to improving Syria’s human rights record. One of them told Human Rights Watch, “We have a real question, what is the extent of their credibility on democracy and human rights?”105 95 Human Rights Watch interview with delegate from the European Commission (name withheld), Damascus, November 16, 2006. 96 Human Rights Watch interview with human rights lawyer (name withheld), Damascus, November 11, 2006. 97 Ibid. 98 Human Rights Watch interview with European diplomat (name withheld), Damascus, November 15, 2006. 99 European Parliament resolution, “Political Prisoners in Syria,” P6_TA(2005)0340, September 8, 2005; European Parliament resolution, “European Parliament Resolution on Syria,” P6_TA(2006)0279, June 15, 2006; European Parliament resolution, “European Parliament resolution containing the European Parliament’s recommendation to the Council on the conclusion of a Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Syrian Arab Republic, of the other part,” P6_TA(2006)0459; October 26, 2006; and European Parliament resolution, “European Parliament resolution of 24 May 2007 on Syria,” May 24, 2007. 100 “EU Presidency statement on the sentencing of Syrian human rights lawyer Anwar Al-Bunni,” April 24, 2007, http://www.eu2007.de/en/News/CFSP_Statements/April/0424Syrien.html (accessed June 1, 2007); “EU Presidency statement on the sentencing of Syrian opposition figure Dr Kamal Labwani,” May 11, 2007, http://www.eu2007.de/en/News/CFSP_Statements/May/0511Syrien.html (accessed June 1, 2007); “EU Presidency Statement on the sentencing of intellectual Michel Kilo and political activist Mahmoud Issa in Syria,” May 14, 2007, http://www.eu2007.de/en/News/CFSP_Statements/May/0514Syrien.html (accessed June 1, 2007). 101 “2007 U.S.-EU Summit Promoting Peace, Human Rights and Democracy Worldwide,” April 30, 2007, http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/04/20070430-13.html (accessed June 1, 2007). 102 For a general overview, see US State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, “Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2006,” April 5, 2007, http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/shrd/2006/80589.htm (accessed June 1, 2007); White House, “Statement Condemning Sentencing of Political Prisoners in Syria and Vietnam,” May 11, 2007, http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070511-11.html (accessed June 1, 2007). 103 See “Summary of Remarks by Javier Solana, EU High Representative for CFSP, at the press conference with Mr. Walid Muallem, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Syria”, March 14, 2007, www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/discours/93196.pdf (accessed on June 1, 2007). 104 Human Rights Watch interview with European diplomat (name withheld), Damascus, November 14, 2006. 105 Human Rights Watch interview with activist (name withheld), Damascus, November 11, 2006. |