Leading Syrian Human Rights Lawyer Jailed
A leading Syrian human rights lawyer reportedly was sentenced to a five-year prison term yesterday in Damascus, sparking protests by the U.S. and others.
Arrested last May, Anwar al-Bunni was convicted of “disseminating false information likely to undermine the morale of the nation in wartime,” reports the Cybercast News Network. Along with hundreds of other people, he had signed a petition calling for improved relations between Syria and Lebanon, and he was also involved in a controversial human rights training center, the article says.
For further details, see this International Herald Tribune article.
News of the sentence reportedly sparked rebukes from human rights organizations and the U.S. State Department, which called upon Syria to release all political prisoners.
