Hani Zitani

Cases

Relevant SG report

From Country

Country Geolocation

Latitude: 34.8020749999999

Longitude: 38.996815

From Region

Individual's/organization's activity: Director of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, based in Damascus

Type of rights defended

Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?: No

Reported trigger of reprisal: It appears that “communicating with international organizations with the aim of having the international community condemn Syria” may relate to, inter alia, the granting of consultative status to the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression by the Economic and Social Council in 2010 and the organization’s subsequent cooperation with various United Nations human rights mechanisms.

Engagement with UN body

Type of attempted engagement

Reprisal information: arrested on 16 February 2012 during a raid on the Centre, reportedly spent more than nine months in incommunicado detention at the Air Force Intelligence detention centre at Al Mazza military airport, from their arrest until 30 November 2012, when they were transferred to Damascus Central Prison in Adra. While held, all five were allegedly subjected to inhuman treatment and were forced to endure extremely poor conditions of detention. On 27 February 2013, the above-mentioned five individuals were reportedly charged with “promoting terrorist acts” by the investigative judge of the Anti-Terrorism Court in Damascus under article 8 of the Anti-Terrorism Law of 2012. It is alleged that the list of offences published by the investigative judge of the Court included “documenting the names of those detained, disappeared, wanted or killed” in the context of the Syrian conflict, “communicating with international organizations with the aim of having the international community condemn Syria” and “publishing studies on the human rights and media situation in Syria”.

Types of reprisals suffered

Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?: No

Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?: No

Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?: No

Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?: No

Follow up information provided in SG report 0: 44.In my previous report reference was made to criminal charges brought against, and the incommunicado detention, torture and ill-treatment of, Mazen Darwish, Director of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, and Hussein Hammad Ghrer, Hani Al-Zaitani, Abdelrahman Alhamade and Mansour Al-Omari.68Messrs. Alhamade and Al-Omari have reportedly been released pending trial, but Messrs. Darwish, Ghrer and Al-Zaitani remain in detention.69 A reply from the Government to a joint communication sent by special procedures was received on 31 March 2014. It indicated that Messrs. Darwish, Ghrer and Al-Zaitani had been arrested on 16 February 2012 on the basis of suspicious activities and that, on 14 November 2012, they had been referred to the competent judicial authority.70 On 14 January 2014, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued opinion 43/2013, in which it declared the detention of Messrs. Darwish, Al-Zaitani and Ghrer arbitrary andcalled for their release.71

Was this case followed up by a UN body? 0