Free Michel Kilo Now - Enough Already

Nothing surprise me from Damascus these days except to say “thakhanouha” (going overboard)…unless they have decided to transform all the prisons into cultural ones and make sure all the intellectuals unite inside them. Fayez Sara is a respected writer who always tread carefully between the lines and there is no reason to arrest him at all…I read his articles in the past just like I read those of Michel Kilo before he was arrested and he was pleasant to read. 

Anyway why is this happening??????????????????????????????

Why the Syrian regime keeps showing his middle ages and barbaric mentality !!!!!!!!!! are doctor Bashar and Asma Al Asad really ruling the country? or some low security guys who decide to humiliate the civilized people…anyway if Mr Bashar wants to portray his intellectual wise image then he better act soon and change the mentality of his regime, stop these arrests and allow for some breathing space. If he can’t rule over the security animals then he should retire with all the billions that he made (sorry stole) unless he is a retard who enjoys the glory and all his talks about being educated were just for mere consumption.

Clearly I am not optimistic, and I don’t think any positive change is happening soon based on their mercurial policies in Lebanon…they could sing different tunes and stop arresting people in Syria for any hope to shine. They are playing their spoiler role in Syria and the region perfectly…we can call them the NEW or BIZARRO ZIONISTS, destroying the region better than Israel ever did.

on the Margin, another sad arrest for a blogger Tarek Bayassi

Here is more from Elaph on Fayez (arabic)

في ما يعتقد أنه على خلفية نشاطه العام و مشاركته في اجتماع المجلس الوطني لإعلان دمشق اعتقلت أجهزة المخابرات في العاصمة السورية دمشق حوالي الساعة العاشرة من صباح الخميس 3/1/2008 عضو المنظمة السورية لحقوق الإنسان (سواسية ) الكاتب و المحلل السـياسي الأستاذ فايز ساره و اقتادته لجهة مجهولة.

- الكاتب و المحلل السياسي فايز محمد ديب ساره تولد جيرود التابعة لريف دمشق عام 1950.
- متزوج و له أربعة أولاد.
- كاتب في العديد من الصحف و المجلات و الدوريات العربية منها (الحياة اللندنية والسفير والمستقبل اللبنانية والنور السورية والعرب اليوم الأردنية ) و محلل سياسي ومهتم بالشـأن العام المحلي و العربي و الدولي.
- له العديد من الكتب و المؤلفات نذكر منها:
موسوعة الكاريكاتير العربي ( جزءان)
الأحزاب و القوى السياسية في تونس
الأحزاب السياسية في المغرب
كما شارك بتأليف الموســوعة الفلسـطينية.
- ناشط في مجال حقوق الإنسان و المجتمع المدني و من مؤسـسي لجان إحياء المجتمع المدني و المنظمة السورية لحقوق الإنسان و شغل منصب عضو مجلس إدارة في المنظمة السورية لحقوق الإنسان لأكثر من عام كما شارك في العديد من المؤتمرات و الندوات و ورشات العمل في مجال حقوق الإنسان إضافة لعضويته في الهيئة الدولية لمكافحة الفقر.
- شارك بصفته ممثلاً للجان إحياء المجتمع المدني في تهدئة الأوضاع في محافظة الحسكة بعد الأحداث المؤسفة في آذار من عام 2004ومارافقها من احتجاجات شعبية كوردية.

- يعاني من وضع صحي حرج جداً جراء إصابته بمرض القصور التام في عمل الغدد الدرقية و هو أحوج ما يكون للمراقبة المستمرة و العلاج الدائم.

and he is some sarcastic humour out of this, as a comment on the arrest

شو يعني إذا صحفي سوري تمت إستضافته في منتجع صنف خمس نجوم عند ظرفاء المخابرات السورية ؟؟ القصة لا تحتاج لأن تكتب مقالا عنها و عن صاحبها. السيد فايز سارة محظوظ جدا ,تصور لو أنه كان معتقلا في جوانتنامو ,هل هذا أفضل له ؟ كن واقعيا يا سيد غسان و تيقن بأن السيد فايز يلقى كل العنايةطيبة عند مضيفيه , و بالتأكيد أنه يرى نجوم الظهر و بالألوان الطبيعية. من قال لك يا سيد غسان أن الظرفاء لا يعطون العلاج الكامل و الفعال لمريضهم بالغدة الدرقية ؟ هم بالمناسبة يعالجون له كل الأمراض التي يعاني منها ..و ربما يقصون له لسانه الطويل الذي يتناولهم ظلما و عدوانا , كما سيبدلون له نظارتيه التي يرى فيهما سوءاتهم . و لن ينسوا بأن يضعوه في قسم الأمراض النفسية كي يعيدوا تركيب مخه ليتناسب مع واقع الحال في بلد الوحدة و الحرية و الإشتراكية . , آخر علاج سيكون في قسم أمراض القلب و سوف يغسلون له قلبه من الأحقاد السوداء عليهم , التي سكنت قلبه. على الإعلام العربي أن يشكر ظرفاء المخابرات على كرمهم و أريحيتهم .و على الصحفيين العرب أن يكتبوا عن معاناة اي فرد في أي مكان على الكرة الأرضية مع إستثناء سورية في الزمن الراهن

SYRIANS RISE UP AND REJECT THE HUMILIATING STATUS QUO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally I applaud Bilawal (Son Of Benazir Bhutto who said today)

“I believe that the problem is that dictatorships feed extremism, and once the United States stops supporting dictators, we can successfully tackle the extremist problem as well,”

Sorry that is just wishful thinking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But the decision makers in Culture less Syria could may be shock us by releasing the prisoners of conscience. They can help welcoming the celebrities, making them more comfortable that they are not approving a regime that suffocates cultural and free thinkers. The prisoners would really make the celebrations and fireworks meaningful instead of an empty culture that only offers crushing hope and silencing the voices of the society.  Is it too much to ask? Of course, nothing is expected from a bunch of cowards who pride themselves on oppression and the language of terror. 

The Arab and international guests should insist on visiting the prisoners or they better boycott such a tasteless farce. They can also insist on witnessing the destruction of important parts of old Damascus or destroying nature in the name of making money. 

Happy New Cultural Year Michel, Kamal, Aref, the list is becoming too long and be happy that others are joining you I write…

Here is part of the news article:

 Damascus heads into a new year as the cultural capital of the Arab world for 2008, hosting a year-long series of theatrical and musical events, along with talks by renowned intellectuals. American linguist and leftist intellectual Noam Chomsky, Czech writer Milan Kundera and Lebanon’s famed songstress Fairuz are among the personalities coming to Syria as Damascus assumes the cultural mantle from Algiers.

But not everyone welcomes the planned events, with Syrian writer Ibrahim Haj Abdi calling them “ephemeral cultural festivities.”

“Syrian intellectuals might have believed these promises (by the organisers) if only they had been accompanied by efforts to free one of the country’s most important intellectuals, Michel Kilo,” he wrote in Sunday’s pan-Arab daily newspaper Al-Hayat, published in London. Kilo was jailed in 2006 for being a co-signatory of the Beirut-Damascus Declaration, along with nearly 300 Syrian and Lebanese intellectuals. In May this year he was sentenced to three years in prison.

The declaration called for an overhaul of ties between the two states and for Syrian recognition of the independence of Lebanon, where Damascus was the major powerbroker for three decades until 2005.

“My experience with the organisers quickly dismissed any hope… of seeing it revive the role of culture that has been destroyed over decades” in Syrian society, wrote Samar Yazbek.

The cultural year will get under way on January 10 with a fireworks display on Mount Qassiun overlooking Damascus, followed by an official ceremony nine days later.

I just found out through Yazan’s post and some other bloggers at Syria Planet that Yazan Badran ’s parents passed away. I am still not sure what happened in what kind of circumstances. Yazan is a great young guy, very active in global voices and Syria planet, not to mention full of energy and rebellion. I got to know him through his posts and the exchanges we had in many blogs. He has a great heart!

It is very devastating to hear such incredible fatal news and I don’t know what to say…

Yazan we are all with you through these dificult times, must be very tragic indeed just to hear about it. Hang in there. Our deepest condoleances…

By Maureen

It is Dr Kamal Labwani’s 50th birthday on 10th October. I suggest that we inundate ‘Adra Prison, near Damascus, Syria with postcards sending him our greetings. I am also compiling a list of names of people who wish to send him goodwill messages and I will forward this to his family so that they may let him know he is not forgotten on his 50th. If you wish to be on the list, please send your name and town/country to mhudsonthomas@yahoo.co.uk

First, I apologize from my readers for not posting anything recently. Second I want to thank my new job (started 5 weeks ago) for not allowing me to surf for news like before and certainly I don’t have the freedom to blog as much. Third I am so happy that my new job had totally distracted me from politics and reading arabic sites and opinions with all the depression that they bring along. I don’t have the same attention span or motivation to be passionate, let the region be the region and the people ruled by oppressors.

 Let the area be shared and dominated by foreign powers and interests along with the resistance wannabees and trouble makers. If the people decide to rally behind their rulers then why not let them suffer the consequences; and if the leaders want to play games to look important then let them enjoy their fake glories…it is all comedy and an act to suck the region out of its blood; and keep us always in the last wagon of civilization.

Oops I am getting pationate again, sorry. About Michel Kilo, Kamal Labwani and all the idiots who decided to speak for a better society, why did they bother since no one is there to think about them except for rare occasions. It seems like the mood now is a complete Syrian-Iranian victory in both Lebanon and Iraq, as well as Palestine even though the dream was destroyed. Syrians in jail, who cares!!! a small price to pay for Syrian regional role. Assad is and will be forever just like the people want!

 I am very confused with the US tacid approval of what is going on!!!!!!!!!!! not that I ever liked the US middle eastern policies but it looks like the axis of evil in their eyes is unchallenged these days. Confusion Confusion Confusion but I am so relieved that it is very quiet on the Israeli front and there is no repeat of the Lebanese disastrous war of last year. The month of May was scary and promising an ugly summer in Lebanon but now it is pretty well contained despite some casualties…it is minor losses in the big chess board.

As for Syria, Assad has graduated from the Junior league to be an important regional player ready to serve his purpose for American policies (even though he looks like he is standing up to them, he exists to forment needed instability in the region) for another 40 years. Like Father like son and the people of Syria pay a heavy price but no one is raising a finger except the cheer leaders who refuse to see our potential being crushed.

But the reason I started this post was a great arabic article that I received about a webworld which I never heard about “Second life” but I love its conclusion , about how the arabic world needs virtual worlds to escape their tragedis and dissapointments!!!!

هل ستنتهي حروب القتل والدمار أخيراً، أم ستنشأ حروب فيروسية والكترونية من نوع جديد، وقد بدأت معالم بعض هذه الحروب الالكترونية القادمة بالظهور خلف حدود الحياة الثانية، مؤكدةً أصالة الغريزة العدوانية لدى البشر؟ ألا يكفينا الفقر الروحي والاجتماعي الذي اجتاح عالمنا الحقيقي في عصر الأنترنيت وثقافة الدولار؟ لاأدري. وبالنسبة لي، اتخذت قراري بعدم الدخول مجددا أبداً إلى الحياة الثانية، مع أنني، فكرت كثيراً، كم نحتاج في عالمنا العربي إلى عوالم افتراضية نهرب إليها من مآسينا وخيباتنا الكثيرة.

Here is the full article in Arabic and it is great to be preoccupied and distracted from never ending problems! specially the headaches of politics and tragedies…Michel and Kamal and their friends, I hope they have fans or aircondition!!!! so it is not like burning hell over at your five star jails. You in jail is really making us beat up imperialism and zionism and complement our glorified resistance so please enjoy your sacrifice!