Prize for imprisoned Syrian lawyer

The Amsterdam Bar Council has awarded Syrian lawyer Muhannad al-Hassani a prize for his human rights work. Mr al-Hassani is in Syria's Adra prison serving a sentence for defending human rights and political prisoners.
by Ibrahim Jadelkarim

Every year, the prize is awarded to a lawyer who champions constitutional law. Muhannad al-Hassani has ended up with a lengthy prison sentence as a result of his activities. The official charge is disseminating information which undermines national feelings and spreading false information about Syria abroad. This is a tried and tested formula to put human rights activists and other opponents of the government behind bars.

Scandal
Germ Kemper, president of Amsterdam's Bar Council, attended two sessions of Mr Al-Hassani's trial in Damascus. He is outraged:

"There are three judges and a Public Prosecutor in robes on a stage. They conduct a kind of conversation with the man behind bars over the heads of the public. Nothing substantial happens: it's never about the case, the content, the evidence, or anything like that. It is a scandal, and then you've got to keep your mouth shut."

Memo
The Syrian lawyer's prize was picked up by Iyas al-Maleh, the son of an 80-year-old colleague of Mr Al-Hassani, who is also serving time in Adra prison for similar offences. Mr Al-Maleh, Sr defended Mr Al-Hassani during his trial.

During the award ceremony, Iyas al-Maleh was visibly moved when he read a memo written by Mr Al-Hassani in his prison cell. He dedicated the prize to all Syrian lawyers who defend constitutional law. And to all political prisoners in Syria and to young Syrians who deserved a better life.

"Syria has been in under siege since 1963," said Mr Kemper during the ceremony. "That means there have been severe limits on the right to free speech and the right to free association for 48 years."

European boycott
Meanwhile, the Syrian Bar Council has expelled Mr Al-Hassani, so that he can no longer practice law when he is released from prison. Iyas al-Maleh called on Dutch lawyers to boycott the Syrian bar. He is also trying to implement a boycott at the European level. Mr Kemper supports him:

"I am already working on having the Syria bar removed from the international organisation of lawyers. I spoke on the matter at an international congress in Vancouver. The executive said it would look into the matter of suspending Syria or even removing it in the near future."