Alkarama for Human Rights is pleased to announce the release on bail of the following individuals for whom Alkarama had submitted a communication to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (see our original communiqué of 15 July 2009):

Alkarama has received information from Iraq regarding the reappearance of seven individuals who were arrested and disappeared in connection with Mohammed al-Dainy, a well-known Iraqi human rights activist and Parliamentarian who visited Alkarama in Geneva in late October 2008 and then later disappeared in Iraq on 25 February 2009 along with members of his family and staff after denouncing human rights violations in Iraqi jails. Alkarama has been following his case and those of people arrested and disappeared in connection with Mr al-Dainy over seven months and has sent several urgent appeals to the various UN Special Procedures in the wake of enforced disappearances, reappearances, arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings linked with the case.

On 13 October 2009, Haitham al-Maleh, was summoned by Syrian Political Security in Damascus for an inquiry and has since vanished. He left his home on the morning of 14 October 2009 and by noon hour his phone was off - it became clear that he was disappeared. Mr. al-Maleh's disappearance is believed to be linked to a telephone interview he gave on 12 October 2009 to London-based Syrian opposition television station Barada TV during which he openly criticized Syrian authorities for their continued repression of freedom of expression. Alkarama submitted his case to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on 20 October 2009.