WASHINGTON â US President George W. Bush has urged Syria to release its political prisoners, especially opposition activist Kamal Al Labawani and eight other prisoners. Spokesman for the White House Scott McClellan said in a statement issued on the anniversary of the World Human Rights Day that the Syrian authorities ârejected the basic rights of freedom of expression and the opinion.âMcClellan added in the statement that âBush calls on the Syrian government to immediately release and unconditionally Dr Kamal Al Labawani and all other prisoners of opinion, including Habib Saleh, Nizar Restanawi, Aref dalila, Riad Seif, Mamoun al-Homsi, Walid al-Bunnim Habib Issa and Fawaza Telloâ.
The Syrian authorities arrested the founder of the Democratic Liberal Coalition, Kamal Al Labawani, in Damascus on November 8 after a visit to the US, where he had attended a meeting at the White House. The Syrian authorities accused the founder of the opposition coalition of "affiliating to a banned organisation," undermining the sovereignty of the country, transferring information outside the country that weakens national commitment and provoks sectarianism."
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The UN Security Council was due later in the day to examine the report by chief UN investigator Detlev Mehlis, which further ties Lebanese and senior Syrian officials to the February slaying of Rafiq Hariri. âWe believe itâs important, when the Security Council discusses this report, that they continue to keep the pressure, and increase the pressure, on Syria,â spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.