47 Civil society Networks & organizations condemning the use of excessive force by the Syrian authorities and calls for an impartial investigation and to lift martial law and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms

Arab civil society Networks and organizations(include 333 NGOs from 12 Arab countries))  received with deep concern and indignation the news that the Syrian authorities (patrols of police and security) suppressed peaceful gatherings in Daraa and the use of excessive force, which resulted in a number of victims (dead and injured) among peaceful demonstrators, in addition to that, the Syrian authorities arbitrarily arrested some Syrian citizens who gathered peacefully on the 22 \ 3 \ 2011 and what followed, like the use of live bullets to quell in a number of Syrian cities which wounded and claimed the lives of dozens of people. We are in the undersigned organizations turn to the families of the victims – dead – with condolences, and to the wounded with wishes for a speedy recovery, and we condemn violence from whatever source and in all its forms and justifications, and express our concern and condemnation of such practices, which reflect the insistence of the Syrian authorities to continue in the exercise of violations of fundamental rights and freedoms to citizens (the right of assembly and peaceful, freedom of opinion and expression, …) by the state of emergency and martial laws declared in the country since 1963, and this action is an expression of the non-fulfillment of the obligations of the Syrian government to the international conventions on human rights ratified by Syria, specifically the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which was ratified on 12 \ 4 \ 1969 and entered into force on 23 \ 3 \ 1976, these also contradicts with Syria’s international commitments on human rights and the recommendations of the Commission on Human Rights in its eighty-fourth session, July 2005, and to identify the sixth paragraph on non-compliance with the provisions of the International Covenant on the civil and the political rights during a state of emergency (article 4) and to ensure these rights, including Articles 9, 14, 19, and 22, and paragraph also of those recommendations which require the state in question to take the necessary measures to ensure the exercise of the right of peaceful assembly in actual practice. The undersigned organizations address the Syrian government with the following demands:

1. The formation of a neutral commission of inquiry to reveal the perpetrators causing the violence, and those responsible for the casualties (dead and injured), whether governmental or non-governmental, and refer them to justice and hold them accountable.

2. Lifting of the state of emergency and martial law.

3. Release all political detainees, and prisoners of conscience.

4. Abolition of special courts and all laws passed by them and the adverse consequences of the provisions.

5. Issue a law for peaceful assembly that allows citizens to exercise their right of peaceful assembly and association.

6. Take measures to ensure the revision of all legislations that restrict the activities of human rights organizations to function freely and modify the Societies Act to enable the institutions of civil society to play their role effectively.

7. Approve the prominence of conventions and international agreements on human rights signed and ratified by the Syrian government to the national legislation with the quotation of this principle in the Syrian constitution.

8. Issue of the law of parties that allows citizens to exercise their right to political participation in the management of the affairs of the country.

9. Amending the constitution to cohere in content with the principles, values, and human rights standards ratified by the Syrian government.

10. Modify the content of the Syrian laws and regulations to suit the international conventions and charters on human rights.

11. Implementation of the recommendations decided within the bodies of the international and regional human rights treaties.

12. Effective enforcement of Syria’s international commitments under the ratification of the covenants and conventions on human rights.

Name of  NGOs

1-         Election network on the Arab regions(ENAR)(included 30 networks and organizations in 12 Arab countries)

2-         Arab’s coalition against death penalty (included 9 national’s coalitions and 9 Arab countries)

3-         Human rights trainers networks in the Arab regions (included 170 trainers).

4-         Arab network to protect the human rights defenders (included 18 organization from 9 Arab countries)

5-         The Arab Organization for Youth Lawyers.

6-         The Arab Foundation for Supporting the Judiciary Reforms.

7-         The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists (APHRA)

8-         Amman Center for Human Rights Studies [ACHRS]/ Jordan

9-         Amnesty International/ the Jordan Group. / Jordan

10-        The Arab Organization for Human Rights/ Jordan.

11-        Al-Badil Center for Studies and Training/ Jordan

12-        The Jordanian Network for Civil Society Organization (included 16 organizations). / Jordan

13-        The Jordanian Association of Democratic Culture. / Jordan

14-        The Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO) (Consists of 132 human rights organizations). / Jordan

15-        Iraqi coalition for human rights organizations (included 54 human rights organizations./ Iraq

16-        Civic coalition for minorities in Iraq (included 12 organizations) / Iraq

17-        Free Organization for Human Rights. / Iraq

18-        Bent Al Rafedeen Organization/Iraq

19-        League for Iraqi Educational/Iraq Association of Rural Girl/ Bahrain

20-        Kufan Organization for Human Rights and Democracy/Iraq

21-        Arab Organization for human rights in Syria

22-        National Organization for Human Rights in Syria

23-        Kurdish committee for human rights in Syria (AL Rassased)/ Syria

24-        Committee for defending democratic freedom and human rights in Syria

25-        Kurdish  Organization  for defending  human rights and democratic freedom in Syria(DAD)

26-        Human Rights Organization in Syria(MAF)

27-        Committees For The Defense Of Democracy Freedoms And Human Rights In Syria

28-        Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies/Syria

29-        Lebanon Society for Human Rights./ Lebanon

30-        Yemen coalition for transparency  and anticorruption (included 50 organizations)/ Yemen

31-        Yemen organization defending rights and democratic freedom/ Yemen

32-        Yemen Coalition for Civil society organizations (included 27 organizations) / Yemen

33-        Yemen Network for human rights (7 organization). / Yemen

34-        Free movement of change in Yemen

35-        Yemen’s coalition against death penalty

36-        Civil forum in Sudan (include more than 54 organizations) / Sudan

37-        Journalists for Human Rights /Sudan

38-        Bahrain Human Rights Society./ Bahrain

39-        Bahrain Society for Transparency. / Bahrain

40-        Association of Rural Girl/ Bahrain

41-        Moroccan Center for Human Rights. / Morocco

42-        Moroccan Foundation for Human Rights. / Morocco

43-        Kuwait Coalition for International Criminal Court/ Kuwait

44-        Habi Center for Environmental Rights/Egypt.

45-        Al Kelmah Center for Human Rights./ Egypt

46-        Land Center for Human Rights. / Egypt

47-        Maat Center for Human Rights  / Egypt