Kamal al-Labwani
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Kamal al-Labwani ( ar, كمال اللبواني; born October 10, 1957 in
Zabadani Al-Zabadani or Az-Zabadani ( ar, الزبداني, az-Zabadānī) is a city and popular hill station in southwestern Syria in the Rif Dimashq Governorate, close to the border with Lebanon. It is located in the center of a green valley surrounded ...
, Syria) is a Syrian doctor and artist, He was released from Adra Prison, near Damascus on November 15, 2011, according to state media. Before his release, Amnesty International called him a prisoner of conscience.


Life

Dr. Al-Labwani comes from the small town of Zabadani in the Rif Dimashq province, close to the Lebanese border. In 1982, while serving as a military doctor, he observed the
Hama massacre The Hama Massacre ( ar, مجزرة حماة), or Hama Uprising, occurred in February 1982 when the Syrian Arab Army and the Defense Companies, under orders of the country's president Hafez al-Assad, besieged the town of Hama for 27 days in ...
, in which the government crushed the uprising by the
Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ( ar, جماعة الإخوان المسلمين'' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan ...
. This induced him to oppose the ruling
Ba'ath party The Arab Socialist Baʿath Party ( ar, حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي ' ) was a political party founded in Syria by Mishel ʿAflaq, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Bītār, and associates of Zaki al-ʾArsūzī. The party espoused B ...
. He founded the Syrian Liberal Democratic Union and joined the "
Damascus Spring The Damascus Spring ( ar, ربيع دمشق, ) was a period of intense political and social debate in Syria which started after the death of President Hafiz al-Asad in June 2000 and continued to some degree until autumn 2001, when most of the act ...
" movement, which briefly flourished after
Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...
became President of Syria in June 2001 after the death of his father. Kamal al-Labwani was arrested in September 2001 after attending a political seminar in the house of fellow activist and politician Riad Seif. Al-Labwani was taken to ‘Adra prison and held initially in incommunicado detention and then in solitary confinement. Subsequently he gained access to his lawyer and he was allowed family visits. On 28 August 2002 the Supreme State Security Court (SSSC) sentenced him to three years in prison on charges including "inciting armed revolt". After serving his sentence he was released in September 2004. During his first imprisonment al-Labwani was not allowed writing or reading materials but obtained painting supplies in his cell after holding a hunger strike, during which he lost 20 kg. He wrote two books and several poems "in his head", but most of his paintings were confiscated. In 2005, he managed to bring about 40 of his paintings to England, which were then shown at an exhibition in
Basildon Basildon ( ) is the largest town in the borough of Basildon, within the county of Essex, England. It has a population of 107,123. In 1931 the parish had a population of 1159. It lies east of Central London, south of the city of Chelmsford and ...
. With the sale of some of his paintings, he financed his trips to the U.S. and through Europe, attempting to raise support for the opposition in Syria, on a platform of democracy and human rights. During these trips he attended the Liberal Democrats’ Conference and visited the UK
Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...
, the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
, and the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
. He was the first human rights defender and dissident from inside Syria to be invited to discuss the case for Syrian Democracy at the White House. On his return to Syria on 8 November 2005, al-Labwani was arrested at Damascus International Airport, and was imprisoned in Adra prison in Damascus. His cell, intended to house 32 but containing more than 60, was in Wing 5, normally reserved for violent prisoners. On 10 May 2007, al-Labwani was sentenced by the criminal court in Damascus to 12 years in prison, with hard labour, on charges of "communicating with a foreign country and inciting it to initiate aggression against Syria", despite no evidence being presented by the prosecution other than their interpretation of “diplomatic pressure” to mean “violent aggression". On 23 April 2008 he was sentenced by a military court in Damascus to an additional three years in prison, on charges of "weakening national sentiment" and "insulting the head of state", bringing his total sentence to 15 years. The only evidence against him was that prepared for them and read out by his fellow prisoners. In May 2008, the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
Presidency issued a Declaration condemning the additional sentence handed down to Dr. al-Labwani, and called for his immediate release and for him to be treated humanely whilst imprisoned. The Declaration asserted that the sentence clearly violated the principles of the rule of law and contradicted Syria's international obligations and commitments, specifically citing the
Universal Declaration on Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, i ...
and the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is a multilateral treaty that commits nations to respect the civil and political rights of individuals, including the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedo ...
, to both of which Syria is a signatory. In March 2009, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, a UN body responsible for the investigation of complaints of arbitrary detention, released its opinion that al-Labwani’s imprisonment constituted arbitrary detention. The Working Group concluded that Dr. Labwani “had been condemned for the peaceful expression of his political views and for having carried out political activities” that are protected under international law, and also deemed his trial unfair. Months into the uprising in Syria, the Syrian government announced on November 15, 2011 that it had released 1,180 prisoners, in what appeared to be an effort to show flexibility and sincerity only hours before the Arab League was set to suspend Syria as punishment for President Bashar al-Assad’s repression of dissent. Rights activists confirmed that the freed prisoners included Kamal al-Labwani, halfway through his 15-year sentence. Reuters quoted his daughter as saying that Mr. Labwani had no idea that Syria was in the throes of an upheaval, having been denied outside contact. After his release, Labwani and his family obtained asylum in Sweden. In March 2014, he suggested in an interview with the London newspaper "Al-Arab" a military intervention by Israel in support of the Syrian armed opposition. In return, he proposed to renounce all Syrian claims to the
Golan Heights The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...
. In September 2014 he visited Israel for the World Summit onCounter-Terrorism of the
International Institute for Counter-Terrorism The International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) is a conservative Israeli think tank founded in 1996 and located at Reichman University, in Herzliya, Israel. Activities According to ''Foreign Affairs'', ICT presents a conservative Israeli ...
in
Herzliya Herzliya ( ; he, הֶרְצְלִיָּה ; ar, هرتسليا, Hirtsiliyā) is an affluent city in the central coast of Israel, at the northern part of the Tel Aviv District, known for its robust start-up and entrepreneurial culture. In it h ...
. He met wounded Syrian civilians being treated in Ziv Hospital ( Tsfat) and said "I visited Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and I saw your society and your state, and I promised to write articles about this visit. We are neighbors and we could be friends." In February 2016 he again visited Israel, and called for a small safe-zone to be created in Syria near the border with the Israeli held part of the
Golan Heights The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...
. He said the local population there would defend itself from Islamist groups, the regime, and Hizballah if given the weapons and assistance to do so.Israel Radio news in English, 6:30 edition, Feb. 19, 2016.


Family

In May 2011, two of Labwani's children, Hind al-Labwani and Omar al-Labwani, went into hiding after taking part in the 2011 anti-government protests.


References


External links


Campaigning For Kamal Blog
at Amnesty International
Free Kamal al-Labwani
Facebook Group
Slideshow of Dr. al-Labwani's artworkList of representations made to the UK and European parliament on Dr. al-Labwani's behalf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Labwani, Kamal 1957 births Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Syria Living people People from Rif Dimashq Governorate Damascus University alumni Syrian democracy activists Syrian dissidents Syrian military doctors Syrian prisoners and detainees