Journalist arrest part of intimidation campaign, says rights lawyer

A leading Syrian human rights lawyer condemned the recent arrest of a Syrian reporter working for a Lebanese newspaper, saying the move was part of a wider crackdown. "This is just another sign of the intimidation of journalists in Syria," said Anwar Bunni in a telephone conversation with IRIN. "All journalists in Damascus face this kind of treatment in the current climate. Many are afraid." Shaaban Abboud, who works for Beirut-based Arabic-language daily An-Nahar, was arrested on 2 March under Syria's 1963 state of emergency law, charged with "publishing mendacious reports harmful to national security". He has since been released on bail, and is currently awaiting trial. "Abboud was released on bail on Monday, while the Syrian authorities set a date for the trial to be held in a military court. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison," Bunni said. Abboud was arrested following a report in the 1 March issue of An-Nahar about recent appointments in the Syrian intelligence services. "I believe the reason he was arrested was because the authorities were surprised by the speed with which he reported on these issues,” said Bunni. “None of the other papers got there as quickly as Abboud did. Maybe the authorities were suspicious." Meanwhile, Paris-based press rights organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) claimed that Abboud had not committed a security breach, given that the issues he wrote about were already in the public domain and published on websites run by senior members of the ruling Syrian Baath Party. "We condemn the behaviour of the Syrian government because it held this reporter for five days and charged him under state of emergency laws,” said RSF Middle East and North African Desk Operator Lynn Tahini. “We see this as indicative of the Syrian government's attitude toward press freedom." An-Nahar is known for being outspokenly critical of the Syrian government. The daily has mounted increasing pressure on the Syrian regime, especially after the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Last year, the paper's executive editor, Gebran Tueni, and an editorial writer, Sami Kassir, were both assassinated. Following Abboud's release on bail, the RSF highlighted what it claims are well-established methods used by the Syrian regime to curtail press freedoms. "The Syrian government continues to use its old repressive methods to prevent the emergence of an independent press,” the organisation noted in a statement. “The 1963 state of emergency laws serve as a pretext for harassing and arresting journalists who dare to criticise the authorities." Abboud's arrest comes in the same week that the Syrian authorities closed down an EU-funded civil society training centre only days after its official opening. The centre, which is a two year project implemented by the Belgian NGO, International Assistance and Solidarity, was opened on 21 Febuary. Commenting on the closure, Frank Hesske, head of a European Commission delegation to Syria, said: "We remain hopeful that this is a technical issue, and that we can start training activities to develop Syrian civil society at the centre."