Local Groups Reject Calls to Stop Human Rights Activists

Syrian groups expressed solidarity with the National Organisation for Human Rights in Syria after the ministry of labour and social affairs called for the imprisonment of the association’s members, said a July 18 statement posted by the London-based website of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.



The ministry asked legal authorities on July 13 to arrest members of the organisation for working without a licence after the group had complained three years ago to an administrative court against the ministry for refusing to give it the necessary permission to work.



Authorities refuse to grant legal status to human rights groups in Syria.



The statement considered the ministry’s move to be in contradiction with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which has been ratified by Damascus.



It also argued that the Syrian constitution guaranteed citizens’ right to participate fully in the country’s social and cultural life and enjoy all sorts of freedoms.



The statement urged the ministry to push for a new law to organise the work of civil society groups instead of seeking the punishment of human rights activists.