Razan Zeitouneh, Human Rights Lawyer Attacked by Judge

Razan Zeitounah, the human rights lawyer whom Joe Pace interviewed for Syria Comment and who runs the Syrian Human Rights Information Link (SHRIL)was attacked verbally by a High State Security judge this week and thrown out of court while she was trying to defend Nizar Rustnawi. This comes from Shril's news-Update 18/30-November- 2005

About the trial of Nizar Rustnawi:According to The Arab Organization for Human Rights in Syria, on November 20th, 2005, the designated day for the first session of the legal proceedings for Nizar Rustnawi (a member of The Arab Organization for Human Rights in Syria) in front of the High State Security Court in Damascus, some of the attorneys from the detainee’s (Rustnawi) defense team attended and attorney Razan Zeitounah was among them. The lawyers were shocked when the head of the court attacked Attorney Zeitouneh by directing repugnant expressions towards her which insulted her humanitarian dignity to say nothing of her being a lawyer, and then expelled her from the courtroom, which prompted the remaining lawyers to boycott the court.

The Arab Organization for Human Rights in Syria criticized the behavior of the court, considering what happened “a violation of Lawyers rights and the Judge’s neutralism”, and called upon the lawyers’ association and all official groups bearing a relationship to condemn this behavior and every like behavior in preservation of a lawyer’s dignity and respect, as well as for the protection of the sacred rights of defense and a lawyer’s honor from attack. The organization requests from the aforementioned responsible authority an apology for attorney Razan Zeitouneh.”

“Like the organization demands the immediate release of Nizar Rustnawi and all of the political prisoners in Syria, as well as the permanent closure of all political files dossiers.”