Opposition Group Calls for Prisoner Release

The Democratic Islamic Trend in Syria, an opposition group, called on President Bashar al-Assad to release political prisoners in honour of the upcoming Islamic festival.



In a statement was published on several opposition websites on December 1, the group said thousands of innocent people arrested under the government’s “emergency laws” have been sentenced by criminal and military courts.



The group called on the president to issue an amnesty for the prisoners prior to Eid al-Adha, the forthcoming Muslim holiday.



Separately, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported in a December 1 statement that a “cyber-dissident” is on trial in a criminal court.



Writer Habib Saleh, who was arrested in May 2008, is accused of publishing false news and inciting sectarianism, based on articles that criticed the authorities. Saleh has been tried on similar charges in the past, and has served more than two years in prison.