 DAMASCUS - A human rights group claimed on Thursday that its leader, a prominent Syrian human rights activist, was severely beaten earlier in the day by three unidentified motorcyclists.
The Syrian Centre for Judicial Research said in a statement that three men on two motorbikes had intercepted the car of Anwar Al Bunni, a leading human rights lawyer, near his house in the Al Qabboun district of Damascus and severely beaten him before fleeing.
It said that Al Bunni, who is one of the most outspoken critics of President Bashar Assadâs government, suffered minor bruises to his head and eyes.
| Couldn't have been gummint hard boyz then; they'd would have broken bones. |
Denouncing the attack as âbarbarian behaviourâ, the statement said it followed a foiled attempt to direct âfabricated chargesâ against Al Bunni two weeks ago. It called on all human rights activists to exert efforts to protect fellow activists in Syria and pledged that such attacks would never dissuade activists from defending the causes of their people and homeland.
Al Bunni went into hiding on August 11 to avoid arrest after claiming authorities framed him to thwart his activities, his brother Akram said. The issue, he said, began outside the Justice Ministry in Damascus, when a Syrian woman quarrelled with Al Bunni for refusing to plead her case. The woman shouted and fell to the ground before being taken to hospital. She later claimed Al Bunni had beaten her, Akram said.
âThe Syrian authorities are trying to harm my brother just because he is a human rights activist and has many anti-government stands,â Akram Al Bunni claimed. |