AP News, May 14th, 2007
A Syrian court sentenced four pro-democracy campaigners, including one of Syria's most respected writers, to prison terms Sunday as part of President's Bashar Assad's latest crack down on dissent.
"We are not criminals, we are patriotic people," said writer Michel Kilo from behind bars after Judge Zaher al-Bakri of the Damascus Criminal Court read out the verdict.
He and Mahmoud Issa, a translator, were convicted and then sentenced to three years in prison each for spreading false news, weakening national feeling and inciting sectarian sentiments. Two other activists, Suleiman Shummar and Khalil Hussein, were sentenced in absentia for 10 years in jail on similar charges.
The rulings bring to six the number of government critics and human rights campaigners to be convicted and sentenced in the last month, despite American and European calls for Assad to stop harassing activists and release political prisoners.
Kilo and Issa flashed victory signs and gave thumbs-up as the packed courtroom, containing Western diplomats, broke out in loud applause to show their defiance with the court's ruling. Syrian security guards tried to restore calm and hurriedly emptied the courtroom.
"This is a crime against us and against Syria," Kilo, wearing a gray suit, told The Associated Press.
His wife, Wadiaa Awad, said she was surprised by the sentence. "Michel has a long history of nationalism and moderation. Everyone knows that he did not weaken national feeling or incite sectarianism," she told AP.
Kilo, 67, is one of Syria's most prominent writers and democracy campaigners. He was detained along with several other activists in May last year, days after he signed a petition calling for steps to improve Lebanese-Syrian relations, a sensitive issue for the government after the Syrian army was forced to withdraw from Lebanon in the wake of the assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri in 2005.
Shummar and Hussein were also arrested after signing the declaration but were released on bail last fall. They are believed to be in hiding or to have fled the country.
Khalil Maatouk, a defense lawyer, denounced Sunday's verdict saying it aims at "silencing all voices of opposition."
"Kilo did not commit any crime punishable by law. He is being tried for his writings and for giving his opinion on Lebanese-Syrian relations," he said.
Maatouk said the verdict would be appealed within 30 days.
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Associated Press Albert Aji contributed to this report.
