Dr Ammar Qurabi

Front Line is deeply concerned following reports that the National Organisation for Human Rights (NOHR) was informed the week of 14 July 2009 that the Syrian Ministry of Social Affairs has applied to the Attorney General requesting the prosecution of the founding members of NOHR, including the current president Dr. Ammar Qurabi, for engaging in civil society action without obtaining a license.

Further Information

The Ministry of Social Affair's request to the Attorney General is based on a note dated 7 April 2009 from the Ministry to the Court asking them to prosecute the NOHR.

This request came as a response to a law suit taken by the NOHR against the Ministry to contest the Ministry's rejection of an application by NOHR for authorisation, submitted three years ago. In its petition to the court, the Ministry stated that according to Law 93 of 1958 on Societies and Private Associations, the Ministry has the right to not authorise any organisation. On the basis of this law, the Ministry issued order no. 1617 on 30 June 2006 refusing to authorise the NOHR.

The Ministry also stated that in a NOHR submission to the court dated 29 July 2008, the NOHR had admitted that it had already started performing its activities which is a violation of Article 17 of Law 93 of 1958 on Societies, which punishes such acts by up to three months in prison and a fine of up to 1000 Syrian Pounds.

If the court denies NOHR authorisation the punishment for the founders of NOHR could be up to three years in prison according to the Penal Code article 306. On 14 April 2009 the Court decided to postpone consideration of the case to 25 August 2009.

Front Line recalls that the authorities in Syria have previously rejected two other applications to establish independent human rights organisations namely; the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in Syria and the Human Rights Association in Syria on the pretext of “lacking proper documents”.

Front Line is concerned about the legal and practical restrictions placed upon the right to freedom of association in Syria and believes that the decision to reject the authorisation of the NOHR and the judicial persecution against its President and founders is intended to hinder their work in the defence of human rights in Syria.