The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) expresses its deep concern following the arbitrary arrest and detention of human rights defender Jdea Abdullah Nawfal. He is the executive director of the Syrian Centre for Democracy and Civil Rights.

According to information received by the GCHR, Nawfal was arrested at the immigration office, close to the Syrian-Lebanese border, on 31 October 2014, by members of the governmental security forces when he was heading to Damascus after attending a human rights workshop in Beirut. Reports confirm that he has been denied access to lawyers and to his family.  

Nawfal is 63 years old and has been working in the field of human rights since 1989, where he was one of the co-founders of the Committees for the Defense of Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms in Syria. He was arrested on 17 January 1992 due to his peaceful human rights work and after a show trial in the State Security Court he was sentenced to five years in prison with hard labour which he served at Sednaya military prison. He was released on 27 January 1997. The Syrian Centre for Democracy and Civil Rights, which he managed, has been established in November 2012 to work inside Syria, aimed at promoting the culture of human rights.

The GCHR believes that the arbitrary arrest and detention of Nawfal is solely related to his peaceful and legitimate human rights activities. The GCHR sees this as part of a systematic trend adopted by the Syrian government which includes the targeting of civil society and humanitarian activists.

 The GCHR urge the Syrian authorities to: 

1. Immediately and unconditionally release human rights defender Jdea Nawfal;
2. Ensure that Jdea Nawfal has unfettered access to his lawyer and family;
3. Take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity and security of Jdea Nawfal while he remains in detention;
4. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Syria are able to carry out their legitimate activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.  

The GCHR respectfully reminds you that the United Nations Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly on 9 December 1998, recognises the legitimacy of the activities of human rights defenders, their right to freedom of association and to carry out their activities without fear of reprisals. We would particularly draw your attention to Article 6 (c) which states that: Everyone has the right, individually and i association with others: (c) To study, discuss, form and hold opinions on the observance, both in law and in practice, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and, through these and other appropriate means, to draw public attention to those matters and to Article 12.2, which provides that the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration.