THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume IX, Issue # 220, November 21, 2007
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
DISSIDENT WATCH: KAMAL AL-LABWANI
By Adam Pechter
SYRIA'S AUTHORITARIAN POLITICAL REGIME & U.S. FOREIGN POLICY: SYRIA'S DENIAL OF HUMAN RIGHTS
PROTECTIONS TO POLITICAL DISSIDENTS & REGIME CRITICS -- THE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S WEAK REACTION TO THE ARREST &
IMPRISONMENT OF SYRIAN PRO-REFORM POLITICAL ACTIVIST KAMAL AL-LABWANI -- FAILURE OF THE WHITE HOUSE TO
TRANSLATE ITS DISPLEASURE INTO POLICY -- U.S. ACTION IN SUPPORT OF POLITICAL & FREE MARKET REFORMS & BASIC
GUARANTEES OF CIVIL LIBERTIES IN SYRIA SPEAKS MUCH SOFTER THAN THE RHETORIC OF U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W.
BUSH & SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE
FULL STORY:
On November 8, 2005, Syrian police arrested Syrian physician and political activist Kamal al-Labwani as he arrived at
Damascus International Airport upon his return from a trip to France and the United States. In Washington, he had met
with officials at the White House. [1] A Syrian court charged him with "communicating with a foreign country and
inciting it to initiate aggression against Syria." [2] While imprisoned, his fate remained uncertain, pending sentencing.
On December 13, 2006, President George W. Bush called for Bashar al-Assad's regime to "immediately free all political
prisoners" and named six imprisoned dissidents, including Labwani. [3]
Labwani has long been a thorn in the Syrian polirical regime's side. He angered officials with his advocacy for human
rights and fundamental freedoms and has been a consistent advocate for reform. On August 28, 2002, a Syrian court
sentenced him to three years in prison for his activities promoting reform during the "Damascus Spring," the short
period in 2000-2001 in which the Syrian regime appeared to tolerate more open political criticism. Rather than cow
Labwani, his previous imprisonment emboldened him. Following his September, 2004, release from prison, [4] he
founded the Democratic Liberal Gathering, which calls for political and free-market reforms and equality for women.
On May 10, 2007, one week after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Syria's Foreign Minister Walid
al-Moallem for the highest-level bilateral talks between the two governments in more than two years, [5] a Syrian court
sentenced Kamal al-Labwani to twelve years imprisonment and hard labor. That the harsh sentence coincides with
Washington's decision to reengage Damascus suggests that Assad believes the White House no longer holds it
accountable for its persecution of nonviolent dissidents. "We have no desire to have bad relations with Syria. Of
course, we want to have better relations with Syria," Rice told CNN after her meeting with Moallem. [6]
After Labwani's sentence, his children issued a statement that the Syrian regime was not able to "imprison his ideas and
his hunger for freedom. They cannot detain his right to dream of a better country, where all people are equal before the
law. Our dad still dreams in prison — and thousands of people share the dream." [7]
While the White House condemned Labwani's sentence, [8] it has yet to translate its displeasure into policy. After her
meeting with Moallem, Rice also said that the Syrian government's "actions will speak louder than words." [9] Perhaps,
the same standard should apply to the White House's response to the imprisonment of pro-reform activists whose major
crimes consist of visiting Washington. While the White House is strong on rhetoric, perhaps it is time for the U.S.
reaction to speak louder than words.
NOTES:
[1] "Statement by the Press Secretary on a Call for the Release of Dr. Kamal Labwani and Others," Office of the Press Secretary, The White House, Dec. 10, 2005.
[2] "Syria: Peaceful Activist Gets 12 Years with Hard Labor," Human Rights Watch, May 11, 2007.
[3] "President's Statement on the Government of Syria," Office of the Press Secretary, The White House, Dec. 13, 2006.
[4] Reporters Sans Frontières press release, Paris, Dec. 8, 2004.
[5] "Rice Meets with Syrian Foreign Minister at Iraq Conference," U.S. Department of State, May 3, 2007.
[6] CNN, May 3, 2007.
[7] "Anyone Remembering Kamal?," FreeSyriaWordPress.com, June 2, 2007.
[8] "Statement Condemning Sentencing of Political Prisoners in Syria and Vietnam," Office of the Press Secretary, The White House, May 11, 2007.
[9] "Rice Meets with Syrian Foreign Minister," May 3, 2007.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
The Middle East & the Problem of Syria
American Foreign Policy -- The Middle East
The Middle East & the Arabs
Islamism & Jihadism -- The Threat of Radical Islam
Page Three
Page Two
Page One
International Politics & World Disorder:
War & Peace in the Real World
Page Two
Page One
Islamist Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.A.
Osama bin Laden & the Islamist Declaration of War
Against the U.S.A. & Western Civilization
Islamist International Terrorism &
U.S. Intelligence Agencies
U.S. National Security Strategy
Adam Pechter is Deputy Publisher of the Middle East Quarterly.
The foregoing article by Adam Pechter was originally published in the Middle East Quarterly, Fall, 2007, and can be
found on the Internet website
maintained by the Middle East Forum, a think tank which seeks to define and
promote American interests in the Middle East, defining U.S. interests to include fighting radical Islam, working for
Palestinian Arab acceptance of the State of Israel, improving the management of U.S. efforts to promote constitutional
democracy in the Middle East, reducing America's energy dependence on the Middle East, more robustly asserting U.S.
interests vis-à-vis Saudi Arabia, and countering the Iranian threat.
Republished with Permission of the Middle East Forum
Reprinted from the Middle East Forum News
mefnews@meforum.org (MEF NEWS)
November 20, 2007
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
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Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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