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Aref Dalilah

Submitted by admin on Mon, 2007-01-29 00:00.

Status: Political prisoner, ailing health

The former Dean of the Faculty of Economics of Aleppo University, 63-year-old Aref Dalilah was arrested in Damascus by Syrian security services on September 9, 2001 for his outspoken role in support of political and economic reforms during the brief "Damascus Spring" period following the inauguration of President Bashar al-Assad. He was later sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Supreme State Security Court.

Since he was put in prison, Mr. Dalilah has suffered from persistent health problems. In April 2002, he was removed from his cell to a hospital for deep vein thrombosis, but returned to prison without being treated. In 2004, Mr. Dalilah "suffer[ed] from high blood pressure and an irregular heart-beat" and was asked to undergo a heart bypass operation "but he refused to have one until he is released from prison."

Most recently, reports from persons close to Mr. Dalilah began circulating in the summer of 2006 that his health was rapidly deteriorating. According to Amnesty International, Mr. Dalilah suffered from a stroke on the left side of his body in early 2006. Since then, prison authorities have restricted Mr. Dalilah's access to medical care despite his several requests for it.

An aging man, he has spent much of his time in prison--what may be the last years of his long, respectable, and commendable life--in solitary confinement, his ability to meet with family and other visitors also limited.

Please help spread awareness of Mr. Dalilah's imprisonment and his health conditions. As the longest-serving prisoner of conscience since President Bashar al-Assad's ascension to power, he is deserving of more attention.


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