Adel Khalaf Ajouri

The body of a Lebanese detainee who died in captivity was returned to his family by Syrian authorities last month. Adel Khalaf Ajouri, 52, was abducted by Syrian forces shortly after the occupation of Beirut in 1990. On October 22, his wife was informed of his death via telephone by officials at Saidnaya prison near Damascus and told to pick up his body at Hayek hospital in Beirut. Mr. Ajouri was buried the next day.

In reaction to Mr. Ajouri's death, human rights activists in Lebanon and abroad staunchly condemned Damascus for the illegal detention of hundreds of Lebanese in Syrian prisons. The Lebanese human rights group MIRSAD released a statement deploring the fact that "Lebanese continue to die in Syrian prisons" and called for an in-depth investigation.

The French human rights group SOLIDA (Soutien aux Libanais Détenus Arbitrairement) called upon French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine "to intervene personally" in his discussions with Syrian authorities to bring about the release of hundreds of Lebanese still detained illegally by Damascus.

In an open letter issued on November 9, Human Rights Watch called Syria's abduction of Lebanese and Palestinians "crimes against humanity" and called upon President Hafez Assad to release information pertaining to the imprisonment and death of Mr. Ajouri. The group also demanded that the Syrian government "make public the names of all non-Syrians who are detained in Syria, and to release immediately and unconditionally those who are unlawfully detained."

"This case is a tragic reminder that there are scores of Lebanese and Palestinians who 'disappeared' on Lebanese soil and whose whereabouts are unknown," said Hanny Megally, the executive director of the Middle East and North Africa section of Human Rights Watch. "Their families deserve answers now, not the delivery of coffins after unexplained deaths in Syrian prisons."