Human rights activists in Damascus said the government has released 40 detained politicians, most whom belonged to Islamist movements and communist organizations. Another 122 jailed politicians were last month. Some of them had spent nearly 30 years behind bars.
The liberation of political prisoners has come on the same day that Syria has felt huge pressure from the United Sates. At a Kuwait press conference last Saturday, March 20, the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, asked Syria to pull its troops out of Lebanon: "Syrian troops must withdraw from the country (of Lebanon) until it regains its full sovereignty status." Elsewhere, the Powell said he asked the "Lebanese government to mobilize military units in the south", in an area currently under the control of Hezbollah militia supported by Syria and Iran.
At the beginning of March Syrian police arrested 6 human rights activists while distributing fliers in which they called for introducing social and political reform in the country. During the same period 1000 academics and intellectuals signed a petition sent to President Bashar al-Assad in which they demanded the lifting of a state of emergency decreed in 1963, the year the Syrian Baas party took power. Their petition also demanded the immediate release of all imprisoned politicians and to end all arrests based on political reasons.
People visiting Damascus told AsiaNews that this year's celebrations of the 41st anniversary of the Baas party's coming to power (March 8 1963) were much less serious and extravagant than in years past.
Since he was elected president in June 2000, Bashar al-Assad, the son of former president Hafez al-Assad, has passed certain national reforms and freed several prisoners of conscience.
Syria's state press praises Assad as an advocate of a slow transition process, as is occurring in China. Yet even Damascus' cautious steps made toward democracy have not eased up the pressure Washington puts on the country to change. The United States in fact has increased talk about imposing economic sanctions on Syria.
Meanwhile yesterday, March 21 , Hushiar Zibari arrived in Damascus on an official visit. Hushiar Zibari is Iraq's foreign minister whose wish is to meet with the Syrian government to discuss the problem of relations between the two neighboring countries as well as the need to guarantee security along border territory. (PB)
