Violations Documentation Center in Syria VDC

Press Statement by The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression SCM:

For the 21st time, Syrias Counter-Terrorism Court Postpones Verdict in the Trial of SCM
members:

On April 15th, 2015, the counter-terrorism court judge, Mr. Rida Moussa, was expected to
announce the courts verdict on the case of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of
Expression (SCM) founder, Mazen Darwich, and his colleagues, Hani Zeitani and Hussain
Ghrer, as clarified in his official correspondence last week. However, on April 15th afternoon,
the judge delayed the session to April 28, 2015, without announcing any justification, marking
the cases 21st procrastination, including 8 consequent procrastinations since the presidential
general amnesty decree (22/2014, June 2014), pardoning those accused with Promoting terrorist
acts, hence, applicable to the three SCM colleagues.
The trial of Mazen Darwich, winner of the UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize 2015, and his
colleagues, defies all international standards, starting from the universal declaration for human
rights, the Article 10 of which states:
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an
independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and
obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
None of the conditions of Fair Trial, as outlined in the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (1966), are met in this case. As described in Article 14, everyone shall be
entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal
established by law. The fairness, independence and impartiality of the relevant counterterrorism court, established by the presidential decree No. 22/2012. The three colleagues are
being tried retrospectively, by a court that was established after they were detained, and the trial
is thus far ignoring the aforementioned presidential general amnesty. The unjustified and
repeated procrastination contradicts with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Article 14 (3-C), on everyones right to be tried without undue delay.
Moreover, the trial of Darwich, Zeitani and Ghrer, contradicts, with no doubt, with the customary
international humanitarian law, as conducted by the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC). The customary IHL Rule 100 states that No one may be convicted or sentenced, except
pursuant to a fair trial affording all essential judicial guarantees. including the definition of a
fair trial, as being Trial by an independent, impartial and regularly constituted court, and with

the customary IHL Rule 101 stating that No one may be accused or convicted of a criminal
offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a criminal offence under
national or international law at the time it was committed.
Two years and five months ago was the first time Mazen Darwish, Hussein Greer and Hani
Zitani stood before a court, it was the 14th of Nov 2012, and more than three years ago, they
were violently detained from SCMs office in Damascus. Still, we only witness more delay and
procrastination, without justification, and sometimes without even announcing the dates of
alternative sessions. Three years of appeals and international human rights petitions to the Syrian
government to fulfil its obligations towards UN resolutions demanding our colleagues
immediate and unconditional release, including the UNGA Resolution 67/262 - 2013 and the
UNSC Resolution 2139 - 2014.
The Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, an independent organization, holding a
consultative status to the UN Social and Economic Council, demands the immediate and
unconditional release of its founder and staff members detained to no reasonable cause.