Human Rights Council, Fourth Session
March 15, 2007

Report on the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration
Syria

Thank you, Mr. President.  Our delegation has taken note of the report of the Secretary General on human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan in Document A/46/56 and we thank him for the efforts made to implement paragraph 6 of Human Rights Resolution 3/2 on human rights of Syrians in the occupied Syrian Golan.  We thank the states and organizations which contributed in that respect.  The Israeli violations against Syrian citizens in Golan are violations of political, civil, economic, social, and cultural rights.  They are displaced by the occupation- 500,000 Syrians in the Golan are living in camps and 264 villages were destroyed.  All of the charitable and humanitarian organizations and not allowed to work.  They’re accused on spying for Syria and the occupying forces have put 40 settlements into the occupied Syrian Golan.  Equally, Syrians do not have the right to access to health, medical care. There is a lack of doctors, and educational programs are imposed by the Israelis on Syrian students.  The Syrian Arabs are living in very difficult conditions under the occupation.  This is contrary to international law and Syrian citizens have refused this annexation under Security Council Resolution 496 of 1991.  For this resolution is null and void.  Syrian citizens refused to take on Israeli identities and are victims of all violations of human rights and of the occupation.  Some are living in prisons and being tortured.  Human rights organizations have denounced this.  The fact that there is physical torture and moral torture taking place- there are two cases- one of Matil Heil Abu-Zed (sp?), the occupying forces freed him only once he had become extremely ill- he had lost sight in one of his eyes and died shortly after he was freed, having spent 19 years in Israeli prisons.  The second case is Sitan al-Wali (sp?) who was arrested in 1985 and for 22 years suffered all forms of torture and neglect- deliberate neglect- so that his health was destroyed.  He was taken to a hospital in 2006 following a severe hemorrhage, and his family was not told of this.  He was not allowed to receive visits while he was taken to prison in the deserts.  

Mr. President, we are appealing to this body to show solidarity with the Syrian prisoners and particularly [those mentioned above] given the very serious state of his health.  These practices of the Israelis need to be stopped.  It is difficult to bear this in the 21st century when we would wish human rights and fundamental freedoms to be implemented. They are central to the work of the council and the international community.  We need to stop this occupation- this unjust occupation of our land.  We are ready for peace.  This is a strategic option for us as President Assad has explained.  But we are not ready to abandon our land, and we do not accept that our sovereignty be reduced in the near or the far future.  As the years pass, we are convinced that this land will always be ours and it will come back to us.  Thank you.