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Syria: Jordanian prisoners to begin hunger strike
AKI, Italy,
January 4, 2008
Damascus, 4
Jan. (AKI) - Several hundred Jordanians detained in Syrian
prisons are planning to begin a hunger strike on Saturday to
protest against their detention. The move comes after the
issue was not discussed during a meeting earlier this week
between Jordanian prime minister Nader Dhahabi and his
Syrian counterpart Muhammad Naji al-Utri in the Jordanian
capital Amman.
According to
the president of the commission for Jordanian prisoners in
Syrian prisons, Abd al-Karim al-Sharideh, the families of
the prisoners plan to protest in front of the Syrian embassy
in Amman, once they get permission to do so from the
interior ministry.
They are
planning to protest against the detention of their family
members and call for their release.
The commission
says that there are 235 Jordanian prisoners in Syrian jails,
including 12 young women.
During a summit
between the leaders of the two countries in November in the
Syrian capital Damascus, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad
promised Jordan's King Abdullah the se Jordanian prisoners
would be released and handed over to Jordanian security
officials.
However so far,
only 18 of the prisoners have been released.
King Abdallah
had said that the issue would be presented before the High
Syrian-Jordanian Joint Committee, but the problem has still
not been addressed.
Observers fear
that the issue of the detainees will not be dealt with for
some time and that the Jordanian prisoners on death row,
could in the meantime, be executed. |
