CAIRO: The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) called on Egyptian authorities and the Arab League to cut diplomatic ties with the Syrian government, urging the latter to take firm action to suspend Syria’s membership.
ANHRI’s statement comes one day after 13 Syrian protesters, who were arrested after raiding the embassy in Cairo, were released on bail Saturday.
Lawyer Ragia Omran said on her Twitter account late Saturday that the Syrian protesters were released on LE 2,000 bail each after interrogations ended. The Qasr El-Nil prosecution reportedly then moved to the Syrian embassy in Cairo for inspection, she added.
“This means case not closed yet [sic]. Thank God no deportation,” Omran said on her Twitter account.
ANHRI expressed concern over the possibility of deporting them to Syria, “for such procedure endangers their lives if delivered to Bashar Al-Assad’s government,” the statement read.
ANHRI warned Egyptian authorities against taking this step, labeling it a “shameful position they should not take after the end of the dictator [Hosni] Mubarak’s regime.
“Whoever respects democracy and human rights either an individual or a body should endorse Syria’s revolution especially after the crimes committed by Al-Assad’s security forces,” ANHRI said.
The statement also urged the Arab League to “have enough courage to end the Arab monitors’ mission” after its failure to put an end to the bloodshed and suspend Syria’s membership.
The Arab League was to halt Syria’s membership last November, but decided to give the Syrian authorities a chance and sent in Arab monitors.
The Arab League’s mission was extended and will continue its work until Feb. 23. Around 500 Syrians have been killed since the start of the mission, ANHRI said.
Embassy raid
About 50 protesters, mostly Syrians, tore down the gate to the Cairo embassy, located in the upscale Garden City neighborhood, before bursting inside the building at around 3:00 am Saturday, an employee told AFP.
The attack on the embassy came as the opposition Syrian National Council called on the world to act after what it called "horrific massacres" on Saturday in the city of Homs that it said killed at least 260 civilians.
The Syrian government denied the report, blaming the bloodshed on "armed gunmen," state media reported.
An AFP correspondent at the scene said that the embassy’s walls were charred and broken glass littered the ground, along with damaged furniture and computers.
Egyptian police were deployed around the mission by daylight.
Opponents of Al-Assad had attacked the mission last week, but were repelled by police.
They have set up a large tent in front of the Arab League’s headquarters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, demanding Assad’s ouster.
Syrian demonstrators had also broken into the missions in London and Kuwait, part of protests around the world against the worst bloodshed of the 11 month uprising against Al-Assad.
In London, about 150 people hurled stones at the Syrian embassy, smashing windows and shouting slogans. Five men were arrested after breaking into the building and another was held for assaulting police, London police said.
Syrian residents in Kuwait broke into the embassy there at dawn on Saturday, tearing down the flag and injuring several security guards, state news agency KUNA reported.
Rallies also broke out outside Syrian embassies in Germany, the United States and Greece. –Additional reporting by AFP
