A Syrian anti-terrorism court yesterday again postponed proceedings in the case against International Press Institute (IPI) World Press Freedom Hero Mazen Darwish, founder of the Syria Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM).

The next court date is scheduled for April 28, the SCM said in a statement noting that the court gave no reason for the delay.

The group said the postponement marked the 21st in the case, and the eighth time that the court has failed to determine whether Darwish and two SCM colleagues – Hussein Ghrer and Hani Zaitani – should be freed under a general amnesty that Syria’s government announced in June 2014. The three have been detained since February 2012 and are accused of promoting terrorist acts, a charge that stems from their efforts to share news about the ongoing conflict in Syria with the wider world.

“The continuing detention of Mr. Darwish and his colleagues and the numerous, ongoing delays in the proceedings clearly violate international human rights standards,” IPI Director of Advocacy and Communications Steven M. Ellis said today. “We urge authorities in Syria to honour the amnesty that was announced and to free Mr. Darwish and his colleagues immediately.”

Supporters had hoped that the court would order Darwish released yesterday. However, Syria’s government has ignored numerous international calls to free Darwish, who in recent weeks was named the 2015 winner of the prestigious UNESCO-Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.IPI honoured Darwish as its 67th World Press Freedom Hero during its 2015 IPI World Congress and General Assembly in Yangon, Myanmar.

The full text of the SCM’s statement appears below.

For the 21st time, Syria’s Counter-Terrorism Court Postpones Verdict in the Trial of SCM members

On April 15th, 2015, the counter-terrorism court judge, Mr. Rida Moussa, was expected to announce the court’s verdict on the case of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) founder, Mazen Darwish, and his colleagues, Hani Zaitani and Hussein Ghrer, as clarified in his official correspondence last week. However, on April 15th afternoon, the judge delayed the session to April 28, 2015, without announcing any justification, marking the case’s 21st procrastination, including 8 consequent procrastinations since the presidential general amnesty decree (22/2014, June 2014), pardoning those accused with “Promoting terrorist acts”, hence, applicable to the three SCM colleagues.

The trial of Mazen Darwish, winner of the UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize 2015, and his colleagues, defies all international standards, starting from the universal declaration for human rights, the Article 10 of which states:

“Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.”

None of the conditions of “Fair Trial”, as outlined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), are met in this case. As described in Article 14, “everyone shall be entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law”. The fairness, independence and impartiality of the relevant counter-terrorism court, established by the presidential decree No. 22/2012 [is at issue]. The three colleagues are being tried retrospectively, by a court that was established after they were detained, and the trial is thus far ignoring the aforementioned presidential general amnesty. The unjustified and repeated procrastination contradicts with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Article 14 (3-C), on everyone’s right to be tried without undue delay.

Moreover, the trial of Darwish, Zeitani and Ghrer, contradicts, with no doubt, with the customary international humanitarian law, as conducted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The customary IHL Rule 100 states that “No one may be convicted or sentenced, except pursuant to a fair trial affording all essential judicial guarantees”. [It defines] a fair trial, as being “Trial by an independent, impartial and regularly constituted court”…. [T]he customary IHL Rule 101 stat[es] that “No one may be accused or convicted of a criminal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a criminal offence under national or international law at the time it was committed”.

Two years and five months ago was the first time Mazen Darwish, Hussein Ghrer and Hani Zitani stood before a court, it was the 14th of Nov 2012, and more than three years ago, they were violently detained from SCM’s office in Damascus. Still, we only witness more delay and procrastination, without justification, and sometimes without even announcing the dates of alternative sessions. Three years of appeals and international human rights petitions to the Syrian government to fulfil its obligations towards UN resolutions demanding our colleagues’ immediate and unconditional release, including the UNGA Resolution 67/262 – 2013 and the UNSC Resolution 2139 – 2014.

The Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, an independent organization, holding a consultative status to the U.N. Social and Economic Council, demands the immediate and unconditional release of its founder and staff members detained to no reasonable cause.