During these peaceful protests, Assyrians, Kurds and Arabs have been calling for democratic change in the country and for a stop to the repression by Syrian security forces. Before this date, the Assyrian minority was not seemingly affected by the massive repression carried out by the authorities in the rest of the country.

On 27 May 2011, Alkarama submitted these cases to the Special Rapporteur on Human rights defenders, the Special Rapporteur on Torture, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Assembly and Association and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and the protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

We referred in our communication to the following individuals:

1. Mr Malak Yaqoub (ملك يعقوب), was born in 1959 (aged 50 years) and usually lives in Qamishli. He is the Vice President of ADO and works as a dentist.

2. Mr Gabriel Romanos (كبرو رومانوس), was born in 1956 (aged 55 years) and usually lives in Qamishli. He is a school teacher and a member of ADO.

3. Mr Karam Dawle (كرم دولي), was born in 1972 (aged 38 years) and usually lives in Qamishli. He is an electrical engineer and a member of ADO.

4. Mr Samir Ibrahim (سمير ابراهيم), was born in 1955 (aged 56 years), and is a member of ADO's Central Committee. He is a medical doctor and usually lives in Qamishli.

5. Mr Barsom Yousif ( برصوم يوسف), was born in 1977 (aged 34 years) and usually lives in Qamishli. He is a lawyer and member of ADO.

6. Mr Gawrieh Shabo ( كورية شابو), usually lives in Qamishli and works as a school teacher. He is a member of ADO.

7. Mr Yaqoub Gharibo (يعقوب غريبو ), was born in 1967 ( aged 44 years) and usually lives in Qamishli. He works as a photographer and is a member of ADO.

8. Mr George Isho (جورج أيشو), born in 1987 ( aged 24 years), usually lives in Hasaka and is a student in fourth year at university, studding english Literature, and a member of ADO.

9. Mr Ghandi Safar Saado ( غاندي سفر شابو), was born in 1984 (aged 26 years) and usually lives in Qamishli. He is a university student (studding computer science) and a member of ADO.

10. Mr Hanna Sanharib Shab ( شابو حنا سنحريب), was born in 1985 ( aged 26 years), and usually lives in Qamishli. He is a university student (studding commerce and economics) and a member of ADO.

11. Mr Hanna Ishaq (حنا اسحق), was born in 1973 (aged 38 years), and usually lives in Qamishli. He works as a carpenter and is a member of ADO.

12. Mr Fahad Yousif (فهد يوسف), usually lives in Qamishli.

13. Mr David Habib (دافيد حبيب), usually lives in Qamishli.

Arrest and detention

On 20 May 2011, around 20 armed agents from the Political Security services and Military Intelligences services raided the ADO's headquarters in Al-Wusta, Qamishli and arrested these 13 activists, without presenting any judicial warrant. The group was taken to an unknown place. These same agents returned to ADO's headquarters the same day and confiscated all the items including computers, documents and furniture (watch the video showing the raid).

On 26 May 2011, these activists were finally released without being charged or undergoing any judicial procedure. They were detained a total of six days incommunicado at the Political Security branch of Al-Hasakah. Some of them were savagely beaten and insulted by political security's agents.

These activists were arrested for their participation or calls for peaceful demonstrations. Thousands of political opponents, bloggers and peaceful demonstrators have been arrested in the last two months in Syria for having exercised their right to the freedom of opinion, expression and assembly. The majority of them have been gravely tortured and mistreated by agents of the Syrian state.

Despite the abolition of the emergency law and the State Security Court on 20 April 2011, arbitrary arrests and human rights abuses continue to be committed by the authorities with total impunity. Human rights activists and journalists have in particular been targeted by security forces, and have been forced to go into hiding to avoid being arrested. Alkarama is informed that Syrian security forces have lists of names of human rights defenders whom they are seeking to arrest.

As with the thousands of other cases provided to you since February, these arrests are the result of persecution by members of the Syrian security forces and the military against peaceful demonstrators who are calling for democratic change in the country.

Furthermore, Alkarama believes that crimes against humanity have been committed in the country particularly murders and torture "committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack" (See article 7 of Rome Statute of international Criminal Court).