Anwar al-Bunni أنور البني | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1959 Hama, Syria |
| Nationality | Syrian |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Anwar al-Bunni (Arabic language: أنور البني, born 1959) is a Syrian human rights lawyer who has defended clients such as Riad al-Turk, Riad Seif, the owner of The Lamplighter, (an independent newspaper shut down by the Syrian government), Kurdish protesters, and "dozens of others."[1] Al-Bunni was born in Hama to a Christian family active in dissident leftist politics.[1] According to an interview with American journalist Robin Wright, he became interested in defending dissidents after being beaten, bayonetted, and having his beard set on fire by Syrian soldiers during a military sweep of Hama in 1981.[1] Wright describes him as having spent "most of his life" defending Syria's political dissidents, often pro bono, and having sold his automobile and office to pay his bills as a result.[1] He was head of the short-lived European Union-funded human rights training centre in Syria called the Center for Legal Research and Studies until it was shut down by the government following his 2006 arrest.[2] Al-Bunni defended Damascus Spring activist Aref Dalila at his 2002 trial. After presenting a blood-stained handkerchief as evidence that Dalila had been beaten at the prison, he was ordered from the court by a judge and banned from practicing before the Supreme State Security Court.[3]
2006-08 imprisonment[]
In May 2006 he was detained by security forces after signing the Beirut-Damascus Declaration calling for democratic reform. A year later he was given a five-year sentence for "spreading false or exaggerated news that could weaken national morale, affiliating with an unlicensed political association with an international nature, discrediting state institutions and contacting a foreign country", according to his lawyer.[4] He was also fined the equivalent of US$2,000 for operating the Center for Legal Research and Studies without government permission. Analysts described the sentence as more severe than those previously given for similar offenses, making it a "stark warning to the Syrian opposition".[2]
Amnesty International designated him a prisoner of conscience,[5] and U.S. President George W. Bush named al-Bunni in a speech as a political prisoner unfairly jailed by Syria.[6]
Awards[]
In 2008 he received the Front Line Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk.[7] The following year he was awarded the Human Rights Award by the German Association of Judges.[8]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Wright, Robin, Dreams and Shadows : the Future of the Middle East, Penguin Press, 2008, pp. 257, 8, 9. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Wright" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hassan M. Fattah (24 April 2007). "Syria jails lawyer over reports of torture". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/world/africa/24iht-syria.4.5422872.html. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ↑ "Syria: Amnesty International Welcomes Release of Prisoner of Conscience". Amnesty International. 8 August 2008. Archived from the original on 12 January 2013. https://archive.is/jnyaH. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ↑ "Syria jails human rights activist". BBC News. 24 April 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6587229.stm. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ↑ "Syria: Release and drop charges against human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni". Amnesty International. 23 April 2007. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. https://archive.is/RWN2t. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ↑ "Road to Damascus". The New York Sun. 14 December 2006. http://www.nysun.com/editorials/road-to-damascus-2006-12-14/45204/. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ↑ "Dublin: 2008 Front Line Award goes to imprisoned Syrian human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni". Front Line Defenders. 2008. http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/1418. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ↑ "Anwar al-Bunni". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 14 December 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/6CtZ5AKg3. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
The original article can be found at Anwar al-Bunni and the edit history here.