On Date: 17 September 2010 Damascus Of Human rights Service hat sent demanded release of Ms. al-Mallohi with no action from Syrian regime.
DEMAND RELEASE FOR SYRIAN BLOGGER
Tal al-Mallohi, a 19-year-old Syrian woman, has been held incommunicado at a State Security branch in Damascus for nearly nine months. Amnesty International believes she may be a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of expression. She is at grave risk of torture and other ill-treatment.
Tal al-Mallohi, a resident of Homs, in central Syria, has not been seen since 27 December when she travelled to Damascus, the capital, to visit a State Security branch, after she had been summoned for questioning. State Security is one of several branches of the Syrian security forces, all of which regularly detain people on even the slightest suspicion of opposition to the government.
Two days later, officers from State Security visited Tal al-Mallohi%u2019s family home and confiscated her computer, some CDs, notebooks and a mobile phone.
Officials at State Security have told Tal al-Mallohi%u2019s family that they are holding her, but have not revealed the reasons for her arrest and refused to let them visit her. According to Tal al-Mallohi%u2019s family, she has no political affiliations, but suspect that her detention may partly be related to poems and articles on various political and social issues that she has written and published in a blog (http://talmallohi.blogspot.com); some of the material contains references to restrictions on freedom of expression in Syria.
Ever since her arrest, Tal al-Mallohi%u2019s family have regularly visited the State Security branch in Damascus to seek information about their relative and to try to see her. Initially officials invited them inside and provided limited details about the circumstances of her detention, but subsequently confined themselves to vague reassurances about her health at reception. The family also submitted three written visitation requests to State Security and in September posted on the internet two appeals to the Syrian President urging him to intervene for her release. As far as Amnesty International is aware no response has been made to any of these requests or appeals.
Expressing concern that Tal al-Mallohi may be a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of expression;
Demanding that the authorities release her immediately and unconditionally if this is the case;
Calling on the authorities to ensure that she is not exposed to torture or other ill-treatment, and reminding them that Syria is a state party to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;
Urging the authorities to immediately allow her visits from her family, access to a lawyer of her choosing and any medical treatment she may require.
