 Professional Background
Prominent writer and journalist Michel Kilo contributes to the leading Lebanese daily Al-Nahar and the London-based daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi.
Initially, Kilo was arrested on May 14, 2006 when he reportedly signed
the “Beirut-Damascus Declaration” of May 12, 2006, which calls for the
establishment of diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria based
on respect for each country’s sovereignty. The document was signed by
several hundred Syrian and Lebanese nationals. These arrests appear to
be part of a renewed crackdown in recent months on government opponents
engaged in peaceful opposition activities.
Current Status
Michel
Kilo is detained at ‘Adra prison near Damascus, where he is said to be
treated well and granted full access to his family. PEN considers the
detention of Michel Kilo to be politically motivated and calls for his
immediate and unconditional release in accordance with the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Syria is
a signatory, and on humanitarian grounds.
Case History
According
to PEN’s information, Kilo was arrested on May 14, 2006. He was issued
a provisional release order by a judge on October 19, 2006, but his
release was obstructed by new charges filed by the prosecution on
October 23, 2006. The new charges included “broadcasting abroad false
or exaggerated news” deemed “damaging to the reputation of the state or
its financial standing,” writing “a letter or article intended to
incite racial, religious” or “sectarian conflicts,” and “insulting the
President, government officials or public servants.” These charges
appear to be unfounded and based solely on his pro-reform activities.
On March 6, 2007, a military prosecutor in Damascus charged Kilo with
“inciting fellow inmates in ‘Adra prison to sign the “Beirut-Damascus,
Damascus-Beirut” joint statement.”
On May 13, 2007, a
three-year prison sentence was handed down to Michel Kilo by the
Damascus Criminal Court on charges of “spreading false news, weakening
national feeling and inciting sectarian sentiments.” |
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Send a Letter of Appeal
Please write a polite letter on your personal or institutional letterhead requesting that charges against Michel Kilo be dropped.
>> Sample appeal letter
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