Today, 2 November 2010, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), also condemned the beating in prison of human rights lawyer Muhannad Al-Hassani. The report describes how Muhannad Al-Hassani, a Syrian lawyer, President of the Syrian Organisation for Human Rights “Sawasiya” and Laureate of the MEA 2010, was attacked by a cell mate, a certain Mr. Mohammad Hamadi. The latter is serving time for rape, armed robbery and forming a criminal gang. It was reported that while he was beating Mr. Al-Hassani, he was screaming at him accusing him of not being a nationalist. The Observatory adds that “Following the assault, the prison authorities opened an investigation on the assault. Though the attacker threatened to kill Mr. Al-Hassani before the investigation committee, these threats were not recorded in the charge sheet. Several days after the assault, Mr. Al-Hassani remains detained in the same cell together with his attacker, despite his request to transfer the latter to another cell.”

The Observatory fears that Mr. Al-Hassani could face further acts of violence and expresses its deepest concern about his security while he continues to be arbitrarily detained, as similar attacks against other imprisoned human rights defenders were reported in the past. The Observatory also call the authorities to carry out a prompt, effective, thorough, independent and impartial investigation into the above-mentioned attack, the result of which must be made public, in order to bring all those responsible before a competent court and to release Muhannad Al-Hassani, as his detention is arbitrary and it aims at punishing him for his human