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Home » Syria » Press Releases » SYR - News » Syria: Enforced disappearance of a Palestinian writer and former UNRWA worker
20 March 2013

Syria: Enforced disappearance of a Palestinian writer and former UNRWA worker

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Ali Al Shihabi, a 57-year-old Palestinian writer and former UNRWA worker, was arrested on 17 December 2012 by the Military Intelligence's Palestine branch near Al Yarmouk Refugee Camp. It was not the first time that the man's fundamental right to liberty and security of person was breached by the Syrian authorities. Following the writing of articles and books over the past decade, the Syrian authorities summoned him several times. Back then, he was subjected to several months of disappearance, arbitrary detention as well as severe torture.
Ali Al Shihabi was not only an English teacher in Al Yarmouk Refugee Camp working at the UNRWA school but he is also an author. Amongst others, he wrote the books The new structure of the world and Syria, where to?. Moreover, he was among the intellectuals who signed the Declaration of Beirut-Damascus in 2006, calling for the establishment of diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria and for Syria to recognise Lebanon's independence. In relation to these activities, he was arrested and referred to the public prosecutor in Damascus in October 2006. During this and previous detention, he also reported to have been subjected to severe torture.

On 17 December 2012, Mr Al Shihabi's relatives were not able to reach him by phone anymore. They subsequently tried to take appropriated measures to investigate and establish his fate and whereabouts with the security service believed to be behind his enforced disappearance, but to no avail. They had no news of him since his disappearance.

Alkarama fears for Al Shihabi's life as well as his mental and physical integrity, as he may be subjected to severe torture while being disappeared. We therefore submitted his case to the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearance and other UN Special Procedures on 15 March 2013 and asked for their urgent intervention in favour of him.
More in this category: « Syria: Disappearance of 20 year-old Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer in Homs Syria: UN Commission of Inquiry speaks of harrowing violence as "war displays all the signs of a destructive stalemate" »
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Syria - HR Instruments

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

ICCPR: Accessed on 21.04.1969
Optional Protocol: No

State report: Overdue since 01.08.2009 (4th)
Last concluding observations: 09.08.2005

Convention against Torture (CAT)

CAT: Accessed on 19.08.2004
Optional Protocol: No
Art. 20 (Confidential inquiry): No
Art. 22 (Individual communications): No

State report: Overdue since 14.05.2014 (2nd)
Last concluding observations: 29.06.2012

International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED)

No

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

Last review: 10.2011 (1st cycle)
Next review: 2016 (2nd cycle)

National Human Rights Institution (NHRI)

No

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