Syrian human rights activist Haitham Maleh is to stand trial at the military court in the capital Damascus. Three years ago, the 78-year-old lawyer was awarded the Dutch Beggars’ Medal or Geuzenpenning (named after 16th century Dutch freedom fighters) for his ‘courageous commitment to human rights’. At the time, he thought the Dutch medal would protect him from prosecution by the government. However, the Syrian authorities couldn’t care less.

His cell phone has been switched off. The phone at his Damascus office is ringing off the hook. Haitham Maleh, always available to his clients or the international media, is incommunicado. He was arrested by the secret service last week. On Wednesday, he was spotted at a military court. 
 
Nadim Houry from Human Rights Watch assumes he was picked up because of a recent appearance on Barada TV, a Syrian opposition channel operating from abroad. On Barada TV, he criticised the Syrian government for its continued suppression of the freedom of speech.
 
Trumped up
No official charges have been brought against Haitham Maleh, but Nadim Houry says the authorities will ‘trump up’ charges such as ‘subverting national sentiments’; the usual charge against political and/or human rights activists. Each year, the Syrian authorities arrest hundreds of people, who are often held without charge under the provisions of a state of emergency which has been in force since 1963. This is why Haitham Maleh will be tried by a military court instead of a civil judge.

Only three years ago, the Syrian lawyer said in an interview that the Beggars’ Medal would protect him against the Syrian authorities. In the 1980s, he spent seven years in prison. The embroideries on the wall of his otherwise austere office are a reminder of his incarceration. The biggest piece, featuring the words 'Bismallah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim (in the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful) includes some 100,000 beads that he patiently embroidered onto the cloth.

Vaclav Havel
'Terrible', is how Chairman Harry Borghouts of the Stichting Geuzenverzet (Beggars Resistance Foundation) describes the lawyer’s arrest. Each year, the foundation awards the Beggars’ Medal to a person or institution which has made a special contribution to democracy or to the fight against totalitarianism, discrimination and racism. Earlier recipients include Czech President Vaclav Havel and the formerly abducted Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt. In 2006 Haitham Maleh was refused permission to leave Syria to accept the medal.

Harry Borghouts says he had hoped the Syrian authorities would leave Haitham Maleh alone because of his old age. “The regime had no reason to arrest him. He is a widely respected lawyer. And he has only used words in his struggle for human rights, never violence”.

Human Rights Watch spokesperson Nadim Houry points out that Syria has adopted a very open attitude toward the international community.  The once highly-secretive country is presenting itself as an important partner to the peace process in the Middle East, and welcomes diplomats and foreign investors with open arms. “Internally, however, the regime is locking down society. An increasing number of people are being arrested and put in jail”. 

Sense of humour
Fellow activists say the arrest of Haitham Maleh has dealt a serious blow to the hopes of dozens of prisoners and their relatives. With much courage and persuasiveness, he often managed to reach prisoners who had ‘disappeared’. His fellow lawyers say his extensive knowledge of the law, his eloquence and his sense of humour made him a particularly vexing thorn in the side of the authorities.
 
During an interview in his office a few years ago, he leaned back with a twinkle in his eye and told us how much he regretted he no longer had the time to embroider.

Photo: Geuzenpenning medal - Wikipedia