Amnesty International on Tuesday called on the Syrian authorities to establish an independent judicial enquiry into the recent clashes between Kurdish protesters and security forces and to urgently review the cases of hundreds of Syrian Kurds who have been detained after mass arrests across the country in March.
"Unless they are to be charged with recognisably criminal offences and brought to trial without undue delay, they should be released immediately," said the organization in a statement.
Amnesty International repeated its appeal, of 16 March, to the authorities to make known the whereabouts of hundreds of those people detained. As far as the organization is aware, almost all of the people detained are being held incommunicado without charge and at unknown locations. A number of children are also detained.
"The incommunicado detention at unknown locations of many hundreds of Syrian Kurds is of serious concern, not least as it puts detainees at greater risk of torture or ill-treatment," added Amnesty International. Amnesty International has already received descriptions of torture of named individuals, including children.
The human rights organization also called for the Syrian government to establish an independent judicial enquiry to investigate how friction at a football match escalated into the killings of tens of people, and a wave of protests, riots and arrests across much of the north of the country.
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
