Last week, a criminal court in Damascus sent lawyer-activist Anwar Al-Bunni away to the Big House for five years. And what, you may ask, are his alleged crimes, worthy of such a long time in jail? In the words of the Syrian justice system: "disseminating false information and weakening the nation." Paging George Orwell!
Actually, all Al-Bunni did was add his signature to a declaration of Lebanese and Syrians calling for better relations between the two countries, which included a recognition of Lebanon's independence. (Syria still refuses to maintain an embassy in Lebanon, in case anyone wasn't clear on its intentions.) 300 prominent figures signed the petition, and several co-signers are also facing trial later this month in Damascus.
This is the paradise presided over by Bashar Al-Assad. A lawyer signs his name to a statement calling for peace, brotherhood, and transparency - and he gets five years in jail for "weakening the nation."
The terrible irony, of course, is that there is a man who is certainly guilty of weakening the nation of Syria. But instead of going to jail, he gets to serve a life sentence as President.
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