Ribal Al-Assad welcomes EU Foreign Minister's Declaration on Syrian human rights cases

The European Union has condemned the Syrian regime for imprisoning a writer and two prominent human rights lawyers. The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton said,

"The EU calls on the Syrian Government to reconsider all cases of prisoners of conscience in accordance with its national Constitution and its international commitments and to immediately release all such prisoners. The EU considers that the above convictions undermine the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association and calls on Syria to abide by the international commitments it freely entered into, in particular under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees freedom of opinion and of expression and the right to a fair trial."

Commenting on the EU statement, ODFS Director Ribal Al-Assad, who has been invited to address to the EU's Human Rights Committee later this year, said,

"I welcome the EU's declaration on Syrian human rights cases. I am pleased that High Representative Ashton's statement is consistent with what I have been calling for in my meetings with EU officials and parliamentarians, namely, that the Syrian regime must comply with minimum international human rights standards and release all prisoners of conscience. I urge the regime to allow freedom of expression and association. This will help Syria move towards genuine democracy and freedom in a peaceful and transitional way.”