SOLIDA (Soutien aux Libanais Détenus Arbitrairement) Paris, 30 November 1998 (Translated from French by: AFL)
Mr. President,
Since its establishment, SOLIDA (Soutien aux Libanais Détenus Arbitrairement) has
campaigned on behalf of Lebanese prisoners arbitrarily detained in Israel, Lebanon and
Syria. The particularly dramatic plight of Lebanese prisoners in Syria and their families
led us to begin on April 3, 1997 a "campaign for the release of Lebanese detainees in
Syria", and it is within this framework that we wish today to announce our concerns
to you.Hundreds of Lebanese citizens have been abducted in Lebanon since 1976 and
transferred to Syria or held in secrecy. This represents a serious violation of
international agreements ratified by both Lebanon and Syria .In a 1987 report on Syria,
Amnesty International raised 38 methods of torture commonly used in Syrian prisons. This
problem does not appear to have changed, judging from the health conditions of recently
released detainees, who suffer from serious after effects of torture and contagious
diseases such as tuberculosis.
In addition, the state of uncertainty experienced by families of these prisoners
constitutes a form of unacceptable psychological torture. Indeed, these families receive
little news about their detained relatives except for that which is conveyed to them by
former prisoners and are rarely granted visitation privileges. They are usually unaware of
the reason for the detention and how long it will last. Moreover, they are often victims
of extortion by unscrupulous intermediaries who demand large amounts of money in return
for the release or right to visit their loved one, promises which are seldom kept. Lastly,
these families have experienced serious intimidation by Syrian and Lebanese intelligence
services, who attempt to dissuade them from legitimately pressing for the return of their
relatives. On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of
Humans rights, to which Lebanon is a signatory, we hope that you will not allow the
inauguration of your presidency to be sullied by this inhumane state of affairs, a clear
violation of articles 5 to 13 of the aforementioned declaration.
As a former head of the Lebanese army, we expect your intervention for the release of tens
of Lebanese soldiers held in Syria since the end of the war--soldiers who were under your
command at the time of their abduction. As the new President of the Republic, we urge you
to intervene for the immediate release of all detainees, both soldiers and
civilians, whose illegal detention in Syria is from this point on your responsibility. As
a father with a family, we ask you to empathize with the distress of the parents of these
detainees, so that their voices may be heard and respected at the highest level.