Syrian Minorities Arrested
| March 12, 2012 |
On March 8, 2012, Syrian security forces arrested Yara Shammas, a 22 year-old Christian girl and the daughter of Michel Shammas, a famous Syrian lawyer who has represented a variety of high-profile opposition members throughout the past year. Yara was arrested alongside a number of friends in a restaurant in Damascus. Their arrests are allegedly based on her participation in the Syrian revolution.
Michel Shammas posted a picture of his daughter on his Facebook account with the caption: “On International Women’s Day, they arrested my dear daughter, Yara.”
Though Syrian authorities claim that they are only interested in arresting people who have engaged in violence, many Syrian Christians and members of other religious and ethnic minorities have been targeted in the past year.
Mazen Darwish, the Director of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, has been imprisoned since February 16, 2012. Darwish is a member of the Alawite minority and one of the country’s most prominent human rights defenders.
Members of minority groups have reported experiencing brutal treatment while in custody, a tactic the regime uses to suppress the voices the opposition, as well as sustain the perception that the current struggle is between a secular regime and an Islamic insurgency.
Mazen Darwish, the Director of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, has been imprisoned since February 16, 2012. Darwish is a member of the Alawite minority and one of the country’s most prominent human rights defenders.
Members of minority groups have reported experiencing brutal treatment while in custody, a tactic the regime uses to suppress the voices the opposition, as well as sustain the perception that the current struggle is between a secular regime and an Islamic insurgency.
