Press for the release of political prisoners in Syria and disassociate yourself from Schäuble’s repatriation agreement with the totalitarian regime!

Dear Minister Steinmeier,

On behalf of the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV), I would like to urge you very strongly to press for the release of imprisoned Kurdish human rights activist Maschal Tamo during your expected visit to Syria. Mr. Tamo had been sentenced to three years in prison on charges of „debilitating national sentiment and spreading false propaganda to weaken the spirit of the nation.” In actuality, he is being punished for his human rights work, including his regular reports on the oppression and persecution of the Kurdish population in Syria for the GfbV.

In addition, I would also like to urge you during your stay in Damascus to disassociate yourself from the Syrian-German repatriation agreement endorsed by Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble. An agreement with totalitarian Syria to surrender members of minority groups to their oppressors is nothing short of a disgrace, when torture and imprisonment await those deported back to Syria. Please demonstrate clearly that, despite your colleague Mr. Schäuble’s actions, Germany cares about the fate of refugees and will not abet their oppressors. As many as 7,000 refugees, most of whom are Kurdish (Muslim and Yezidi) or Assyro- Aramaic Christians are in danger of being deported from Germany to Syria. Many refugee families have lived for over a decade in Germany, and their children, who speak only German and a little Kurdish, have no future in Arabic-speaking Syria.

Syria has around 3,000 political prisoners, at least 150 of whom are Kurdish. Prisoners are subjected to systematic torture and mistreatment in prisons, and it is not uncommon for victims to be tortured to death. The death penalty is still administered, legal proceedings flout the rule of law and the highest state court accepts statements made under torture as evidence.

The roughly two million Kurds living in Syria are systematically subjected to arabization policies. They are oppressed and discriminated against, and have no linguistic or cultural rights. Around 300,000 are deprived of citizenship. They are, in short, completely without rights. Christian Assyro Aramaeans who are politically involved, for example, those with ties to the illegal Assyrian opposition organization ADO, also risk imprisonment and torture. The Kurdish Yezidi religious community, in addition to being regarded, like all Kurds, as second class citizens, also face encroachments from the Muslim community as non-Muslims as well. Furthermore, the estimated 100 Jews still living in Syria (compared to the 30,000 in 1948) also exist in constant fear for their personal safety.

Yours Sincerely,

Tilman Zülch,

Secretary General