Syria Today | Kilo released from prison

Kilo released from prison

Prominent activist Michel Kilo was released from prison on May 19 after completing a three-year sentence.

Kilo, in his late 60s, was imprisoned in 2006 on charges of “spreading false news”, “weakening national morale” and “inciting sectarian sentiments”. He served his full sentence, unlike a number of other activists who have been set free after completing three quarters of their term.

“I am in good health but I need some rest and I don’t want to talk further,” Kilo told the AP news agency by telephone shortly after arriving at his Damascus residence.

“My feeling of joy cannot be described,” his wife, Wadiha Kilo, said.

Kilo is one of Syria’s most respected writers. Prior to his arrest, he had signed the 2006 Beirut-Damascus Declaration, a petition signed by 274 Syrian and Lebanese activists. The document called on Syria to recognise Lebanon’s independence by way of establishing diplomatic relations with its neighbour, a move also demanded by the international community, and taken by Damascus in October 2008.

“We welcome his return to his place in civil society,” National Organisation for Human Rights in Syria Head Ammar Qurabi said. “We need his moderation and his presence among us.”

Anwar al-Bunni, a prominent human rights lawyer and signatory to the declaration, received a five-year jail term on the same charges as Kilo in 2006. He remains in prison, despite calls for his release by human rights groups as well as a personal plea from French President Nicolas Sarkozy during a visit to Damascus last year.