Recent weeks see crackdown on opposition figures

The Syrian Human Rights Organisation (SHRO) condemned the arrest of several opposition figures in Damascus earlier this week. According to an SHRO spokesman, the arrests come amidst government attempts to quell a recent surge of opposition activity. “We’re seeing a phenomenon of greater repression of opposition figures in Damascus,” said the SHRO’s Bassam Ishak. “In the last two days, several figures involved in the March 9th demonstration have been called in for questioning by the police and two people have been arrested.” On 9 March, opposition figures organised a major protest against the longstanding emergency laws governing the country. According to Ishak, two well-known opposition figures – Hasem al-Naher and human rights lawyer Hassem al-Nazim – have been repeatedly called in for questioning by police this week. Amer Abdullah, a student working with the SHRO, meanwhile, was arrested after having been called for regular questioning over his involvement with a student group trying to set up discussions on democracy. “We’ve not heard from Amer since his arrest, and no formal charges have been pressed against him,” said Ishak. The SHRO is calling for Abdullah to be tried in a civil court, rather than in a high security court operating under martial law. Another man from the Golan Heights area, Wasim al-Kabir, was also arrested on political grounds this week, the group said. No one was available to comment from the Damascus authorities on this issue. According to Ishak, the arrests could indicate a government attempt to reassert itself after a wave of opposition activity in recent weeks. “The authorities might be concerned that they’re losing ground with regards to people’s fear of them,” said Ishak. He added that the 9 March demonstration may have served as a wake-up call that the opposition was becoming more active. The arrest and harassment of opposition figures come on the heels of several harsh prison sentences handed down to members of the Kurdish opposition. On 19 March, a state security court convicted seven Kurds to between six months and 10 years in prison for belonging to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), according to Syrian human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni. Al-Bunni called on Damascus to “stop the intimidation policy and repression and to stop using the illegal State Security Court as a tool to terrorise society”.