In Brief
Mazen Darwish is one of the most renowned, dedicated and stubborn human rights defendants in Syria. He is the founder and president of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression. Darwish played an essential role in launching the Syrian revolution and in defending victims who fell for participating in the revolution.
Background
Mazen Darwish is one of the most renowned, dedicated and stubborn human rights defendants in Syria. He is the founder and president of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression. Darwish played an essential role in launching the Syrian revolution and in defending victims who fell for participating in the revolution.
"In Syria, being a journalist is like walking through a minefield," said Darwish in a March 2011 interview in Damascus. There are many taboos, Darwish added, including now well-known political issues, human rights violations and the nature of the governing regime.
But Darwish also referenced other, less visible lines that journalists dare not cross, saying, "Nobody can tell when a mine is going to explode."
Mazen was arrested with 15 of his colleagues by Air Force Intelligence officers during a raid on the center on February 16, 2012. According to sources, there is good reason to think his life is in danger because he suffers from serious ailments and his condition could worsen rapidly if he is not getting the treatment he needs. The Syrian authorities refuse to say where he is being held. He is not being allowed access to his family or lawyers, in complete violation of international law. So far, no charges have been brought against him.
Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
The 38-year-old reporter has spent eight years fighting for free expression in Syria without caving in to pressure from the government. At the end of 2004, he founded the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM). The SCM fought for journalists' rights and supported them in disputes with Syrian authorities through February 2012, when Darwish and several of his colleagues were arrested.
The SCM regularly published reports on free speech violations and on the working conditions of Syrian journalists. The group also collected and publicized cases of bloggers and other figures active in media who had gone missing. Finally, the SCM advocated reforming media law in Syria.
The SCM's crown jewel for Darwish was the newly established center that worked on documenting the violations to human rights, the first of its kind in the country. The Violation Documenting Center (VDC) started documenting the killings, arrests, and arbitrary disappearances, on a daily basis, which placed the Syrian authorities in a difficult position.
Local appreciation and international award
The Munich-based Roland Berger Foundation honored Darwish and two other activists in 2011 with its Roland Berger Human Dignity Award. The foundation praised what it called Darwish's tireless efforts in support of press freedom and free speech.
In the past, Darwish tried to register the SCM in Syria as a non-governmental organization, but without success. He said that Syrian government leaders were extremely sensitive, if not even hostile, to NGOs and other activities within civil society.
'It's as if you were committing some huge sin,' Darwish said of authorities' suspicion.
But the greatest appreciation for Darwish comes from his colleagues and co-workers in the domain of human rights in Syria.
State treachery
Again and again, Syrian officials tried to disrupt the SCM's work, closing the center on a number of occasions. Darwish was also bullied by the state. He was imprisoned multiple times, had to check in with security authorities and was prevented from leaving the country. Nonetheless, he continued to promote his cause.
'I grew up in a political family,' he said in reference to his perseverance. His father was persecuted for years on political grounds, and his mother was active in a number of pro-Palestinian organizations.
'When I finished my law studies, I went abroad for a while – to the Gulf states and to Europe. In France and in Germany, I got to know the work of civil society and democratic thinking,' he said.
Those experiences led him to promote similar approaches in Syria.
Torture and isolation
Since the security forces stormed the SCM's office in Damascus, arresting Darwish and fellow activists, Darwish’s whereabouts have been unknown. Contact with the outside world is prohibited, but Reporters Without Borders has obtained information that Darwish is being tortured and in a troubling state of health.
According to the information received, on August 6, 2012, the Air Force Intelligence (AFI) sent a letter to the Military Justice in Damascus, informing them that the SCM was conducting its activities without any license and that they were preparing for Mr. Darwish to be transferred to the Field Court, a secret military tribunal which does not even allow the presence of the detainee’s lawyers.
Before his arrest, Darwish had been subjected to persistent and systematic harassment by Syrian security services. He was disbarred and prohibited from practicing law for life due to his human rights activities. He was subjected to a travel ban for more than four years, which prevented him from visiting his two children, who reside abroad. When he established the SCM, he was ordered to report to the security services on an almost daily basis. Irrespective of the persistent harassment he and others faced, Darwish always refused to leave Syria. He believed that the work of human rights defenders was crucial to bring about real change and reform in Syria and that, in spite of all of the brutalities and abuses, Syrians would join the cause of human rights and stand up for their right to live and die in dignity.
Journalist of 2012
Reporters without Borders has honored journalist and activist Mazen Darwish for his tireless engagement for freedom of expression in Syria.
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