Who's next after Michel Kilo?
May 15, 2006
Yesterday, Michel Kilo was arrested by the Syrian regime, apparently for having dared to sign the Damascus-Beirut/Beirut Damascus Declaration, published in Assafir a few days ago (I've unfortunately lost the link but will try to find it). Many of the signatories on the Syrian side are people I know and respect, and Michel is one of them. I would have certainly signed it too as I agree with the declaration (although I may have suggested a different ranking of the points).
This is not the first time Michel Kilo (who, like many Syrian activists, has done his share of time in jail - get this, for being associated with the Muslim Brothers, of all the pathetic charges!) has been included in the regime's latest harassment campaign, but he had usually been set free after a few hours. It looks different this time, as they seemed to be waiting for an excuse.
Our civil society activists are being increasingly persecuted, but few people seem to be paying attention. It may be little consolation, but I was glad to see that MESA last month at least still remembered to petition Bashar Assad for the release of Professor Aref Dalila, who is thought to be in a very poor physical condition.
For the time being, it's clear the regime is obsessively susceptible to any mention of Lebanon, especially when it comes to calling for relations based on respect of mutual sovereignty and for establishing diplomatic relations. A few days ago, the Syrian Prime Minister criticized Fouad Siniora for not being a "statesman" ... look who's talking, really. Last week, we had the Lebanese Prime Minister at Chatham House, and I must say I was favorably impressed by Siniora's position. He was firm in conveying his country's position vis-à-vis Syria, without being confrontational, and he also managed to cover other issues (such as Palestine) quite convincingly. I'd love to hear Otri in similar circumstances, or any of the other ministers; they're really in no position to criticize others when all they can do is bully people in their own population. Not quite the behavior of real men, let alone statesmen!
