Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in March 2011, Alkarama has been documenting the severe human rights violations, in particular the deliberate targeting of independent journalists, human rights defenders, humanitarian workers and medical personnel. Targeting these crucial individuals seriously aggravates the effects of the conflict and pushes the potential for a solution further out of reach as it prevents them and others from carrying out their important roles of documenting, reporting and alleviating the suffering caused by the widespread and systematic human rights violations.

In this regard, the UN General Assembly demanded for the first time "that the Syrian authorities immediately release all persons arbitrarily detained, including the members of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression."

We recall that Mazen Darwish and two of his colleagues from the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), Hussain Ghrer and Hani Zitani, are held by the Syrian authorities since they were arrested by the Air Force Intelligence on 16 February 2012. For the first months, they were imprisoned without contact with the outside world in blatant disregard of their rights as detainees. During this period, they were reportedly subjected to severe torture and ill-treatment. Other members have been released since, but two of them continue to be tried on terrorism charges alongside their detained colleagues. Their prosecution is believed to be a result of their widely recognised human rights activities.

The five men's next hearing before Damascus' Anti-Terrorism Court is scheduled next Sunday, on 19 May 2013, and we take this as an occasion to call on the Syrian authorities to undertake all possible steps towards their immediate and unconditional release, as also requested by the General Assembly.