Press Release – Paris, 4 February 2021
Fener Mahmoud TAMMI, Media and political activist was kidnapped by an unidentified/ unknown armed group in on the evening of Saturday the 23 January 2021 and that was while he was traveling in the city of Qamishli on his bike, local efforts have so far failed to secure his release, as information reported by local media that the People’s Court issued a statement stating that it had arrested Mr. TAMMI and filled several charges against him.
TAMMI is active politically and in the media in cooperation with several local bodies, including the websites of Yekiti Media and ARK TV, he was also active in monitoring and highlighting human rights violations in the region, and over the past six months, he was summoned twice for investigation by the security services of the Syrian Democratic Forces, among what appears to be a systematic policy of restrictions and pressure on public freedoms, where the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) through the Violations Documentation Center in Syria (VDC) has documented 451 arrests carried out by the Syrian Democratic Forces and its affiliated agencies during 2020.
Kidnapping and enforced disappearances practices against activists and media professionals, including the abduction of TAMMI and the concealment of his fate, are in violation of Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and a violation of the right to freedom and physical integrity of economic and social rights for him and his family members, and to the right to know the truth In the Article 32 of First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, and contrary to the provisions of the social contract for Democratic Self-Administration Articles 20 & 21 which guarantee international covenants and covenants in the social contract, and the set of rules contained in Article 6 of the Charter affirm the principles of a fair trial, especially Article 70, which prohibits the trial of civilians before Military courts.
If confirmed, the news that the People’s Court is the party that stands behind Mr. TAMMI’s disappearance, SCM expresses its condemnation of any trial of civilians before the exceptional courts, including the People’s Court which is formed from by military ranks of the Syrian Democratic Forces and which does not meet the requirements of a fair trial in terms of final judgments that are beyond appeal or review, and that the defendant’s right to defend himself will not be fulfilled, and asserts that any charges against TAMMI does not justify the kidnapping in any way.
The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) calls for revealing the fate of TAMMI, his immediate release, and to hold accountable those responsible for the incident, and also calls on all military authorities and local and national authorities to shoulder their responsibilities in protecting journalists and civilians in general from any violations, especially kidnappings and enforced disappearances.
