travel ban

Human rights defender Mr Radef Moustafa was prevented from travelling to Geneva to attend the Fourth International Conference against Capital Punishment taking place from 24-26 February 2010. The security authorities did not give any reason for preventing Radef Moustafa from travelling outside Syria. 

On 6 December 2009, blogger and human rights defender, Mr Ra’if Badawi, was stopped at Jeddah airport and prevented from travelling to Beirut. No official explanation was given for the travel ban or its time limit; however, it is believed that it is related to charges brought against Ra’if Badawi in relation to a website he set up, in which he has criticized the religious police for violations of human rights. 

On 23 July 2009, human rights defender, Mr Mohammed Saleh El-Bejadi was informed by the passport authorities in Barida, Saudi Arabia, that he continues to be banned from travelling. Mohammed Saleh El-Bejadi is a supervisor of the website “Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia-Al-Marsad” and was previously the host of a weekly on-line forum called “The citizen and his rights”, which was reportedly considered provocative by the authorities. 

Front Line is concerned following reports that travel bans have been imposed on human rights defenders, Mr Abdul-Raheem Gomaza, Mr Rassem Sulaiman El-Atasi and Mr Zuhair Shams-el-Den Al-Sageer. Abdul-Raheem Gomaza is the former secretary and current chief attorney of the National Organisation for Human Rights. He has published articles on capital punishment in Syria and in November 2007 he monitored a trial in Egypt on behalf of the Arab Commission for Human Rights. Rassem Sulaiman El-Atasi is the director of the Syrian section of the Arab Organisation for Human Rights and Zuhair Shams-el-Den Al-Sageer is a board member of the same organisation.