الاتحاد الكاثوليكي العالمي للصحافة- لبنان اوسيب – لبنان
Antelias, May 4 th, 2005
The World Forum of Professionals in the Secular and Religious Media (UCIP -Lebanon) called the Lebanon government for acting to resolve the retained issue in Syrian and Israeli prisons. It stressed on the right of mothers and families to know the destiny of their sons. The Forum statement included the following:
1 – The retained issue in Syrian and Israeli prisons, especially the retained who are in Syrian prisons, constitutes a fundamental issue that the Lebanese government is supposed to resolve so this delicate issue does not remain a lesion deep inside the Lebanese Syrian relations wished to be clarified from any impurity. Thus, the Lebanese government is invited to hold the responsibility of this fundamental issue, stemming from its responsibility of the destiny of its citizens and to protect heir essential right in life, abiding by the safety of the relations with the Syrian State.
2 – The minister Fouad Al Saad, who assumed in the past the responsibility of this case, is invited to reveal the information in his possess so it can be added to the one presented lately by the retained families and lawyers bars, which proves, due to documents, the presence of a great number of Lebanese retained in Syrian prisons, as a step of resolving the case in a responsible way. Revealing these evidences is supposed to put the officials in Lebanon and Syria in front of their historical responsibilities.
3 – Several international organizations which are concerned about human rights, assured the presence of Lebanese retained in Syrian prisons, such as the Amnesty International, the International Federal for Human Rights, and the European Commissariat of human Rights. Therefore, persisting in ignoring this case will increase the voices which will rise for revealing the truth. Thus, it is better for the Syrian government to give notice about the destiny of the retained, release the living ones and deliver the body of the deaths. This constitutes the only path for closing this human, security, and political delicate case which, without being closed, the Lebanese – Syrian brotherhood will remain deeply harmed.
Translated by: Joyce Tary
