Free Michel Kilo Now - Enough Already

The email below is self explanotary and too powerful to add anything except: Syrians get out of your freezers! Sounds like it is a prisoner treatment from the 18th century before the French revolution or the pirates time.

Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 14:45:26 +0300

hi grandma

Kamal (Labwani) has been in solitary since last wednesday as a punishment after his defense hearing.

he is in very bad situarion, with rats, no light, no shoes, just small account of food and water,

waiting for your help

love u 

————

Meanwhile a Canadian journalist Mitch Potter owes his freedom partly to a great Syrian Woman “Hind Kabawat” who was outspoken when He got in trouble for taking a picture of Michel Kilo.

 The idea on this day was to stake out a Damascus courthouse for an appearance by jailed dissident Michael Kilo, Syria’s most articulate opposition critic. And, if at all possible, to take digital photos of this seldom-seen prisoner who is the sharpest domestic thorn in the side of a troubled regime.

It nearly worked. After emerging shackled from a side entrance, family and friends momentarily surrounded Kilo before the guards led him away to a penitentiary van. I got the pictures in that nanosecond of commotion, shooting blindly from the hip.

And then the hand locked down on my shoulder. Into custody we went – followed by a small crowd of Syrian human rights lawyers and activists on the scene to monitor Kilo’s appearance but now rushing to the defence of a foreign journalist. I waved them off. They followed anyway.

The whole of us bounced from official to official, each passing what he perceived to be a hot potato up the food chain to higher authority. The episode culminated in an unforgettable exchange between the ranking Syrian security chief and Hind Kabawat, a Syrian Canadian lawyer who, despite my protestations, argued firmly on the Toronto Star’s behalf.

He: “You think you can just waltz up to Guantanamo Bay and take pictures wherever you please? No. And the same is true in Syria. What you have done is unacceptable.”

She: “This man is not American. And Canada has no Guantanamo. Canada did not support the war in Iraq. Besides, this is a public courthouse. In Canada, anyone can take photographs outside a courthouse. So why not here?”

The officer weighed his next move in silence. Finally, and to our utter surprise, he pushed the offending camera across his desk toward me. “Take your camera, take your pictures. You are welcome in Syria. Goodbye.”

See full article

I wish that the people in charge of the prisoners arrest are as wise as the officer who handled the situation quiet smoothly, did they get him in a good mood or was it because the journalist is Canadian, hard to figure. He did however compare Syrian prisons to Guatanamo, is that their benchmark for modernity now? Does a Syrian ever get that Welcome to be free in Syria unless he belongs to the authorities or has connections…

Syrian power circles are definitely hurting themselves by jailing our national heroes and making them living martyrs.  Whatever benefit they thought they gained had long reached its potential and now it is just a matter of being pure Saddists.

Bashar goes every year to the arab summit making himself look like he is the best boyfriend to take your girl to the prom. He becomes the little innocent reformer and Arab Team player who wants to smile and shake hands, pause for photos after causing all kind of troubles. He takes few days off to make nice with the leaders after insulting them the whole year. I wish he does the same with his people and give the prisoners their very basic freedom. Too much to ask, they don’t have petro $$$. Why can’t he be less of hypocryte and accept that Syrians will respect him more if he treated them better…

في المؤتمر الصحفي الاعدادي الذي عقده وزير الخارجية السعودي سعود الفيصل وأمين عام جامعة الدول العربية عمرو موسى، وجه سؤال للوزير السعودي من قبل أحد الصحافيين المشاركين حيث قال: هل انقسمت الدول العربية الى دول محاور كما يجري تقسيمها من قبل أمريكا بدول معتدلة وغير معتدلة؟ فما كان من الأمير سوى الاجابة بحزم «نحن أمة عربية واحدة»، ثم أدرك أن النكتة قد «حبكت»، وأكمل «ذات رسالة خالدة» مما جعل كل من في القاعة ينفجر من الضحك، وتحول شعار حزب البعث الشهير الى نكتة تبعث على الضحك والسخرية، فالكل بات يدرك بدون شك أن هذا الحزب لم يكن سوى مصدر تفرقة وشرذمة وأن نداءاته بالحرية هي في واقع الأمر رخصة بإنشاء أعداد متزايدة من السجون والزنزانات زج بعشرات الآلاف من الابرياء فيها، وكذلك نداءاته بالاشتراكية وهي طرفة أخرى فهذه «الاشتراكية» ساهمت في فساد وسلب وسرقات وديكتاتورية مالية غير مسبوقة !

نعم «البعث» ومن على شاكلته المخجلة والمقيتة بات يشكل ماضيا خبيثا في حال العرب يجب العمل الحقيقي والجاد على استئصاله تماما مثل التطرف الديني المقيت أيضا، فهما بمثابة أورام سرطانية شريرة تنهش في الجسد والقلب والعقل والضمير بلا رحمة، وطبعا نداؤه المضحك المبكي الآخر: الوحدة وهي عادة وحدة تأتي بالقوة والإكراه دون أي خيار كما حدث في أكثر من تجربة بائسة.

واليوم والعرب يجتمعون لقمة جديدة من قممهم تبدو بعض الملفات «الساخنة» أنها قد وصلت لمراحل الاكتمال والجاهزية، وبات من الواضح تماما من هي الشخصيات التي تسعى لبناء الجسور والتواصل باحترام والبناء على ما أنجز. وعليه فإن المبادرة العربية التي أطلقها خادم الحرمين الشريفين الملك عبد الله بن عبد العزيز وتبنتها جامعة الدول العربية وجار اعتماد المجتمع الدولي لها، يبدو أنها فرصة مناسبة لإحداث تغيير غير مسبوق للصراع العربي الاسرائيلي، وهي تأتي تواصلا مع المبادرات التي أطلقها العاهل السعودي بحق الخلافات الفلسطينية البينية وكذلك الصراعات اللبنانية أيضا. وهذا التحرك العربي باتجاه دعم المبادرة يضع ضغوطا غير مسبوقة على الادارة الامريكية وخصوصا في ظل معاناتها المتواصلة من كارثة احتلالها في العراق، والفشل الذريع التي تواجهه جراء الاخفاق الاداري لفترة مابعد الحرب، إضافة للشعبية المتدهورة حول العالم التي تحققها، وبالتالي هناك فرصة تاريخية لانجاز شيء ما. هناك قائد عربي على الساحة يتفق على محبته واحترامه اعداد كاسحة من الشعوب والزعامات العربية والعالمية وهو عبد الله بن عبد العزيز، يبقى بطبيعة الحال ضرورة استثمار ذلك والبناء عليه.

حسين شبكشي

I saw the petition through other blogs, please sign it and spread the protest message.

Here is a random sample (there are many more) of comments showing their solidarity to save old Damascus. A lot of International people are siding with Syrians to encourage them to save their heritage.

Kim Does, Netherland
Having enjoyed the rich cultural heritage still exsiting I beleive it would be a horrendous act to demolish these historic, and yet very much a part of the Damascus today, sites.

Abdul Kader Al-Daghestani
Why are you destroying the thing that our country is known for. This is what makes our great country special. Shall we get rid of it and put any building that can be found anywhere else?

Claudia Forte, Italy
I have now lived in Damascus, in Al-Amaraa precisely, for one whole year, and I cannot imagine the damage that a highway will do to the beauty of this place and its social and economic fabric. This is a ridiculous decision driven purely by greed. And every urban planner I met in Damascus (and many are coming) disagrees with this decision. Please stop this shameful act.

Diala Al Jabri
There is no greater investment than the protection of ancient roots….Damascus belongs to a human heritage beyond price…Baghdad is being destroyed by ‘war’….are we to see Damascus destroyed by vested interests?

Kirsten Look, Germany
Do not waste syrian heritage as it is source of arab civilization + source of economic development not only in branches as tourism

Ammar Abdulhamid
The treatment of Old Damascus in such a callous manner is a great indicator of a lack of a real feeling of belonging to the place, and of corruption and greed run haywire. Damascus and the whole of Syria deserve better than this.

David Schneider, US
I  recently traveled to Damascus from the US, to shop in the souks slated for demolition. I spent almost ten thousand dollars there, and was amazed at the craftsmanship and modern treasures that were specially made for me from these markets, the likes of which can not be found anywhere on earth. I was shocked to hear from the shopkeepers that their stores and markets are to be expropriated and destroyed. Seems like Mr. Asaad is not the guardian of the Arabs, their culture and society in the face of the globalization he claims to be staving off. Selling one’s country off to the highest bidder is also known as treason. Shame. ‘Ayb.

Wassim Hassouneh
I’m really against this. There is a lot of places where you can expand the city. Don’t demolish historical sites. Why can’t we do proper planning just like they do in Europe. This is our heritage and should be renovated and mantained rather than destroyed.

K.R.E
Old Damascus is our soul, I have no reason to visit or think about visiting if its old market and old streets removed. Killing old Damascus is like killing Nizar Kabani, Omaween and our history.

Mohanad Atassi
I declare my categorical opposition to any modification and deformation of the urban fabric in Old Damascus,

Anonymous
I pray you keep the historical importance of ancient Damascus intact. This architectual heritage is a gift from our ancestors to our children and to all of humanity.

Maureen Thomas, Great Britain
In my life I have fulfilled some of my dreams – I have wept at the beauty of the aurora borealis and the bright stars caught in its lace net; I have caressed the warm stone of the old buildings of Firenze; I have stared amazed at the ancient wonders of Egypt. But now it seems one of my last dreams will be denied me. Before I can wander through the byways of Ancient Damascus it is to be destroyed by vandals who care more for modernity and wealth than for tradition and culture - and for people’s dreams.

فقبل الموعد المحدد للاعتصام المقرر ، تقاطرت إلى المكان فرق القمع من أجهزة النظام وتعاملت مع المواطنين عندما بدؤوا بالوصول من كل فئات الشعب نساء ورجالا أطباء ومهندسين ومحامين ، بمنتهى القسوة والعنف بأسلوب يدل على مستوى احترام هذه الأجهزة لأبناء الشعب السوري، ويكشف عن حقد دفين على الرأي والرأي الأخر ، على الفكر والثقافة والحرية في القرن الواحد والعشرين ، والحوار التالي الذي جرى بين مجموعة من المعتصمين أمام القصر العدلي و! عدد من ضباط الشرطة يتقدمهم ضابط برتبة عميد ، يعطي القارئ فكرة عن ” الأسلوب الحضاري المتميز ” الذي يمارسه النظام مع الشعب السوري .
وهنا اعتذر سلفا عن كتابة نفس الألفاظ النابية حرفيا كما وردت أثناء الحوار :
العميد : ما سبب مجيئكم إلى هنا ؟؟
احد المعتصمين : جئنا نعتصم من اجل إلغاء حالة الطوارئ والأحكام العرفية المستمرة منذ 44 عاماً .
العميد : هذا الاعتصام خيانة في وقت يتكالب فيه العالم علينا .
متعصم أخر : نحن نتناقش معكم بأدب . هذا ليس خيانة . هذا موقف وطني . الاعتصام مساعدة للشعب من اجل رفع حالة الطوارئ وإلغاء الأحكام العرفية . وفي المؤتمر الأخير لحزب البعث . أي منذ أكثر من سنة ونصف ، تقرر إعادة النظر في هذه الأمور وصولا إلى إلغائها وحتى الآن لم نر شيئا .!!!

العميد : نحن نبقي على حالة الطوارئ والأحكام العرفية ضد ” العرصات ” في سوريا .
معتصم : نحن موافقون على تطبيق قانون الطوارئ ضد العرصات والفاسدين في سوريا .
العميد : هل ستعودون إلى بيوتكم ، أم إننا سنتصرف ………
معتصم : ماذا كنتم ستفعلون لو إننا نصبنا هنا عددا من الخيام واعتصمنا …………
العميد : بلا خيم بلا علاك ، هذا البلد إلنا ولبشار الأسد ونحن الذين نقرر خيم أو غيره… وهنا فقد العميد وأزلامه أعصابهم واخذوا يدفعون عددا من المعتصمين دفعا ( تدفيش ) لإبعادهم من أمام قصر العدل .. أو بالأحرى لإسكاتهم والكف عن مطالبتهم بالعدل …………..

من خلال قراءة هذا الحوار القصير البسيط إلى جانب اعتقال عدد من المعتصمين ، يدرك المتابع للسياسة السورية ، إلى أي حد وصلت ثقافة أجهزة النظام وسلوكه الحضاري المتمدن ، والذي لايختلف عن حضارة ومدنية المعتصمين في خيامهم عند جيراننا منذ مايزيد عن ثلاثة أشهر !! طبعا نحن لانضع جميع عناصر النظام القمعية في سلة واحدة , فمنهم من يتعامل بلباقة وبشيء من اللطف مع المواطن ولكن هذا لاينسنا بان الهدف يبقى واحدا عندهم جميعا ، وهو منع المواطن من التعبير عن رأيه …
في دمشق النظام ، لم يتحمل أصحاب النهي والأمر اعتصامنا لمدة ساعة واحدة فقط ……..
أما دمشق الشعب , سورية الوطن ، عليها أن تتحمل حالة الطوارئ والأحكام العرفية ، المعلنة منذ عشرات السنين ، ومن اجل ماذا ..؟؟ !! نترك الجواب للنظام ، ولكل مواطن شريف تعز عليه قضية الوطن ، وحريته وكرامته ومستقبله

ولابد أيضا من أن نتسائل هل يوجد في أي دولة من دول العالم حالة الطوارئ والأحكام العرفية فيها مستمرة منذ أوائل عام 1963 ؟؟ ومع هذا يتكلم النظام عن التحديث والتطوير ودولة المؤسسات والقانون في سوريا الحديثة ؟؟!! ويعلن بأنه سيجري انتخابات ديمقراطية ونزيهة ؟؟؟ في الحقيقة النظام في سوريا لايريد أن يتعلم من أخطائه وسياساته المتهورة ، فهو لايزال يحكم البلاد بعقلية السبعينات من القرن الماضي

نايف قيسية

No need to translate, only Syrian people or oppressed people will understand. But the subject is related to my previous post “Only in Democratic Syria” and how people are forbidden from protesting martial laws or simply expressing some of their political opinion. Some sentences worth translating by the Security military General trying to disperse the civilized crowd protest “This country is owned by us and Bashar Assad and we decide what goes on”, “This protest is a national treason while the world is barking/attacking/pressuring us(Syria)”, “The martial laws are necessary against the Syrian “Pimps”.

Where are the Syrian movie producers? we need some new movies but not comedy this time! we need DRAMA that shows the world how badly some people are treated, how a whole society is being strangled.  How the people are enemy number one of the regime or state and how the law protectors are indeed our occupiers.

The hottest controversial Syrian news (besides human rights abuses and deaths) these days are coming from old Damascus. The last 3 weeks have witnessed multiple articles on the internet, newspapers and blogs denouncing the plans to demolish parts of Historic Damascus in particular a souk to make wider streets and few commercial projects. I am not very familiar on the issue but I am not surprised. People are really mad, that apparently the authorities have given the OK to an old controversial plan from the 60s and some regime circles stand to benefit from destroying our heritage. Many business families will be uprooted, displaced and affected (I thought only Israelis do that to Palestinians).

See different posts by bloggers Ammar, Abu Kareem, Syrian Brits and some excellent Arabic articles written by patriotic pens like Razan Zeytoune and Subhi Hadidi for more info. The comments are very abundant and the people are really angry about what is going on. Could we witness a City or Country wide protest??? a civil disobedience may be? a strike? an organized campaign in schools and universities? a tents sit in or only the Lebanese opposition and HA are good at that!!! could the Baath party committies issue a condemnation for this plan?

The Society should wake up and voice its opposition, bring down the city or province people responsible for this decision, nix the plan and save the heritage and the people affected. This outrageous plan is purely domestic and does not affect “wise” Syrian external policies or power show off. It is not an American or Israeli attack or pressures, it is not related to Syrian cards in Lebanon or the region. It seems like it is not related to the “dictatorship” but it could be if Makhlouf is behind it, but that guy is too greedy and he needs to be trimmed a bit. It is definitely not related to the Syrian opposition, Muslim brotherhood, terrorism or sectarianism.

Why not Syrians! just take it to the streets!!! your Capital is being raped in front of your eyes and your are silent. This is not about some lunatic prisoners who got arrested for speaking out or writing something that the regime did not like. The Danish youth went on huge riots and a rampage in Copenhagen in February because the government took away their building, some of these punks and hippies need to show Syrians how to preserve their rights. Hell, even Syrian Mukhabarat know how to destroy embassies in Damascus when it is to their advantage (Danish Cartoon riots last year).

But we only Act and defend our rights when the enemy is the outside because we have no dignity and no heart or brain to put aside fear and SPEAK OUT. Make an impact instead of accept yet another hit and defeat. Surprise me and let me hear about the old Damascus civilized Uprising just before the comical elections of April. But enough deaming…long live the Assads protectors of Syria, its culture and heritage and damned those people who pretend to love their country but they are serving the interests of the enemy, create divisions and target the wealth of the rulers.