Muslim Brotherhood “Still At Risk”

The London-based Syrian Committee for Human Rights has said it is still not safe for Muslim Brotherhood members to return to Syria despite reassurances from President Bashar al-Assad.



During a visit to Kuwait on June 4, Assad told the press that his regime has opened up a dialogue with the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and some leaders had returned from exile.



He said Syria was open to anyone who wanted to return, and people would be treated as individuals and not members of political parties.



However, the human rights group called Assad’s statements "misleading" in a statement issued on its website on June 5.



The organisation said Muslim Brotherhood members were still being arrested under a law that prescribes the death penalty for members and supporters of the group.



The committee maintained that Assad had made similar statements in the past, but dozens of Muslim Brotherhood members who had returned to Syria were arrested on arrival.



The committee advised Muslim Brotherhood members not to return to Syria until the president abolishes the law proscribing the group.



Dozens of Muslim Brotherhood members who returned from exile over last few years were arrested and tried before an extraordinary court. They were given the death penalty but their sentences were commuted to 12 years in prison.