"Three Years for Six Words"

A detailed report on the sad case of Tariq Baissi:

On May 5, Tariq Baissi was convicted to three years of prison for "weakening the national feeling and the national ethos." The  State Security Court in Damascus cut Baissi's sentence in half from the original six years. Baissi's crime was to have posted six words on the online forum, 'I am a Muslim,' in which he criticized Syria's state security apparatus...

Throughout the trial, Baissi has denied posting the comments, saying that he works in a computer company and has nothing to do with politics. He said the phone line, through which the website was accessed, did not even belong to him but to another resident in the same building. Those claims were rejected by the Syrian government.

Rights groups and Syrian bloggers have condemned the sentencing of Baissi. In a recent press release, the London-based Syrian Human Rights Committee said, "Posting a phrase comprised of six words may cost you a six-year prison sentence [in Syria."]

Pathetic.