SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC Communications sent

332. On 13 August 2001, the Special Representative, together with the Special Rapporteur on torture and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, sent an urgent appeal concerning independent Member of Parliament and human rights defender Mamun al-Humsi, who was arrested on 9 August 2001 in the National Assembly building in Damascus. Mamun al-Humsi, who has represented a Damascus constituency for 11 years, had reportedly begun a hunger strike at his office some 48 hours before he was arrested, in protest against the continued application since 1963 of the Syrian emergency laws, under which the authorities have sweeping powers to suppress dissent. In June 2001, he had called for a parliamentary human rights committee to be set up and was also active within the newly emerging human rights and civil society movement in Syria. Mr. Mamun al-Humsi has allegedly been charged with offences including "insulting the Constitution, opposing the Government and engagement in intelligence with foreign quarters". These offences, which are tried by the Supreme State Security Court, carry sentences of up to 15 years' imprisonment. It was also reported that

Mr. Mamun al-Humsi is reportedly being held incommunicado at the Adra prison, and is allegedly denied his rights to legal representation, access to his family and access to medication for his diabetes, which he takes regularly. It is also reported that under the state of emergency, political opponents of the Government can be arrested and detained indefinitely.

333. On 14 September 2001, the Special Representative sent an urgent appeal jointly with the Special Rapporteur on torture and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression regarding the following nine political opposition activists who are said to have been arrested since 1 September 2001: Riad Turk, a lawyer and the first secretary of the "Syrien-Bureau Politique" Communist party; Riad Seif, a parliamentarian from Damascus; Kamal Labouani, an

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old doctor and member of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDF) administrative council and the editorial committee of the "AMARJI" publication; Aref Dalila, a Damascus University professor and founding member of the "Commissions de la renaissance de la societe civile" (CRSC) movement; Habib Saleh, a businessman from Tartus and CRSC activist; Hassan Sa'Doun, from the Al-Hassaka region of northern Syria and a debate forum activist; Walid Al-Bouni, a doctor and "national dialogue" forum organizer; Habib Issa, a lawyer and spokesperson for the "Jamal Attassi" forum; Fawaz Tello, an engineer and member of the "dialogue national" forum.

334. On 15 November 2001, the Special Representative sent an urgent appeal concerning Mr. Aktham Naisseh, president of the Syrian Committee for Human Rights, and one of its members, Dunia Khawla. According to the information received, on 5 November 2001 Mr. Naisseh was prevented from leaving the airport to go to a conference organized by the International Federation for Human Rights in Belgium, although he had previously obtained a visa, as well as administrative authorization to leave Syria. The following day, Mr. Naisseh was reportedly asked to go to the Palestine section of the Intelligence Services. As for

Ms. Dunia Khawla, she reportedly could not obtain a visa to go to the same conference. Furthermore, on 9 October, Mr. Naisseh was asked by the security forces to go to the Palestine section of the Intelligence Services after he distributed a petition relating to the arrests which took place in Beirut at the beginning of September during a seminar organized by the International Federation for Human Rights.

Observations

335. The Special Representative regrets that at the time of the finalization of this report the Government had not transmitted any reply to her communication.

TANZANIA

Communication sent

336. On 30 November 2001, the Special Representative sent, jointly with the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, an urgent appeal regarding the arrest and interrogation of Mr. Rugemeleza Nshala, president of Lawyers' Environmental Action Team (LEAT), a public interest law firm, part of the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (E-LAW) network dedicated to the protection of the environment through law and advocacy.

It was reported that Mr. Nshala was representing small-scale miners in Tanzania who are complaining about the death of some 50 colleagues during the eviction by force of thousands of miners from the Bulyanhulu area in August 1996. This action was allegedly carried out in order

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to enable the Canadian-owned conglomerate, Kahama Mining Company Ltd. (KMCL), supported by the Government of Tanzania, to take hold of the property. It was reported that, on 24 November 2001, the police raided the offices of LEAT in Dar es Salaam and seized a videotape and some of the evidentiary material in the case. Mr. Nshala was reportedly arrested and interrogated for about five hours. It was also reported that he was released on police bail and required to report daily to the police. He was allegedly accused of "sedition", along with two other LEAT members, Mr. Tundu Lissu and Ms. Augustine Mrema. According to the information received, this arrest and search followed a press conference held by LEAT on 19 November 2001 during which the organization asked for an international commission of inquiry to investigate the Bulyanhulu massacre of August 1996.

Observations

337. No reply from the Government has been received so far.