Syria Today | Trial of Syrian opposition activists begins

Trial of Syrian opposition activists begins

Twelve Syrian opposition activists who signed the Damascus Declaration, a 2005 manifesto calling for democracy in Syria, went on trial in Damascus on July 30.

The accused are charged with spreading false information to weaken national morale, inciting racial and sectarian dissent and harming the state. The defendants deny the prosecution’s charges.

Most Syrian opposition parties signed the declaration in October 2005, which called for “democratic and radical change” in Syria.

The National Council of the Damascus Declaration (NCDD) was established in Syria last December, but 15 of its members have since been arrested. Two were released at the beginning of July, while 12 of the remaining 13 are now standing trial.

Among those on trial are NCDD president Fidaa Horani, doctor Walid Bunni, writer and NCDD secretary Akram Bunni, journalist Ali Abdallah and former Syrian parliamentarian Riad Seif.

In a statement, the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria said: “They [the accused] rejected all accusations made against them and stressed that the Damascus Declaration was not an undertaking [carried out] in a secret manner and that its aim was to defend the homeland.”

Local and international human rights groups have condemned the prosecution and called for the activists to be released.

This is the biggest collective trial of Syrian dissidents in seven years. After President Bashar al-Assad assumed the presidency in 2000, political discussion groups flourished in what has become known as the “Damascus Spring”.