DEUTSCH:
Die Kampagne der syrischen Familie gegen Menschenrechtsverletzungen und für die Freiheit der politischen Gefangenen https://thevoiceforum.org/node/707
The Syrian Family Campaign on Human Rights Abuses and For the Freedom of
Political Prisoners in Syria:
With members of Damascus Declaration by Selam Shanan, Gassen Lbebidy, Tawfik Lbebidy
https://thevoiceforum.org/node/700
Events in March 2008:
in Bremen: 5.-6.03. Menschenrechtslage und Verfolgung der Opposition in Syrien
http://thecaravan.org/node/1492(Karawane Bremen)
in Wuppertal: 15.03. (Karawane NRW)
in Berlin: 27.03. (Plataforma Berlin
in Hamburg: 28.03. (Karawane Hamburg
in Jena: 04.-05. April.08. (The VOICE Jena)
The Syrian Family – activists in Gehlberg (Selam Shanan, Gassen Lbebidy, Tawfik Lbebidy) were scheduled to be in the (Administrative Court of Meiningen on Wednesday 13th February, 2008 at 13.30 but the case was postponed for some logistic reasons for Arabic translator on the part of the court. Their case will now be heard on Wednesday 23rd of April 2008 at the same court. Please, watch out: the time of the hearing will be announced later.
The first hearing on their asylum demand for safety and protection in Germany took place five years ago at the Federal office for Asylum (Bundesamt) where their asylum application was rejected in Jena, Thuringen. Since then the family have been forced to live in the refugee camp isolated in the middle of the Thuringian forest without any option to private housing in the region.
They joined The VOICE Refugee Forum in 2002 and have been active in the campaign for Freedom of political prisoners with the opposition movement in exile to protest the dictatorial and torture regime in Syria. Similarly, they have remained active in The VOICE as well as the Caravan-for the rights of refugees and migrants all through these years against the deplorable condition of asylum seekers/refugees in Germany and beyond.
The Syrian family, Madam Selam Shanan with the husband Mr. Gassen Lbebidy and their son, Master Tawfik Lbebidy (Toto) are coordinating delegates of opposition activists as committee members of the Damascus Declaration in Germany for the Establishment of a democratic national regime. See link:
English:
Damascus Declaration: http://www.damdec.org/preview.php?id=49&kind=moved_news
Deutsch:
Die Damaszener Erklärung: http://www.damdec.org/preview.php?id=51&kind=moved_news
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/refworld/rwmain?page=printdoc&docid=47a87c15c
http://www.amnesty.ca/Refugee/Concerns_Syria_04.pdf
#######
Syrian Family activists in Gehlberg goes to Court in Meiningen, Thuringen
Date: Wednesday, 23.04.2008,
Place/Address: Verwaltungsgericht Meiningen, Lindenallee 15, 98617 Meiningen, Thueringen
Time: to be announced
On behalf of the Syrian Family and The VOICE Refugee Forum we are calling on all progressive activists to join us for this important court hearing on the 23rd of April, 2008 in Meiningen, Thuringen.
The Court Obsevers: The delegates and activists of the Caravan for the rights of refugees and migrants and representatives of the Syrian political opposition movement in exile are expected to participate in the court hearing.
We will appreciate your participation, financial contribution for the legal costs, mobilisation events and for the court.
Address of the Court: Verwaltungsgericht Meiningen Lindenallee 15, 98617
Meiningen, Germany
You can also send your solidarity wishes to the Syrian Family by Phone
0049 (0) 179 9058352 and e-mail to: "tawfik lbebidy"
If possible, you can support or send Solidarity donation to the Family:
Donation // Spende: The Voice e. V., Göttingen
Account nr: 127 829, Bank BLZ. nr: 260 500 01
IBAN: DE97 2605 0001 000 1278 29;BIC: NOLADE21GOE
Bank name: Sparkasse Göttingen
We are all the activists of the Caravan for the rights of refugees/migrants in Germany
In Solidarity we remain
Osaren Igbinoba
The VOICE Refugee Forum Jena.
E-MAIL: thevoiceforum@emdash.org, https://thevoiceforum.org
*****
Family info:
Father, Gassen Lbebidy an asylum seeker from Syria has his asylum case and those of his wife Selam Shenan and son Tawfik Lbebidy coming up soon in the Verwaltungsgericht in Meiningen in Thüringen.
Gassen Lbebidy As a result of his activism he was banned from travelling to Egypt (and all other Arab Countries). He later joined the PFLP and the DFLP after the Arab nationalist movement was dissolved in 1968. In 1976 he was convicted to 10years imprisonment in the notorious Abu Ghraib in Iraq during the brutal dictatorship of ex-president Saddam Hussein. He was released after three years in a prisoner exchange pact between Syria and Iraq but later rearrested and imprisoned for some time.
Mother, Selam Shenan has been active in the Democratic Youth (an Organization near to the Communist Party of Syria) since her youth as far back as 1970, and three years later joined the Communist Party of Syria. She later resigned from the Communist Party, because the Communist Party has joined the National Progressive Front and this lead, that the Communist Party lost its profil as a Communist Party. In the year 2000 She joined other progressives and veterans of the communist party in discussing and finding ways to revive the civil society by actively involved in "committee to revive the civil society" (an Organization) set up for this purpose. She and her family had been under scrutiny of the state security apparatus all this while and suffered all sorts of persecution from the state to deter them from their political engagement and opposition to the state. In the summer of 2002 they took part in one of the many demonstrations against the arrest and sentencing/condemnation of the chairman of the Communist Party of Syria/Polit Bureau. This led to their arrest, torture and against all odds subsequent flight from Syria. They were able to find their way to Germany and applied for political asylum, the outcome of which as mentioned earlier is still pending.
For their Son, Tawfik, It is however ironical or maybe an unpleasant coincidence that their case was now coming up for hearing at a time when their son Tawfik was having a nervous breakdown because of the rejection by the Foreigners office to allow him study after gaining an admission at the University of Jena. He was qualified after having made very good grades in his school leaving examinations here in Germany and accepted by the University in Jena. However the University authority backslided after consultation with the Foreigners Office who refused to allow him to study on the grounds of violating the obnoxious restriction of movement law (das Residenzpflichtgesetz) imposed on refugees here in Germany. (Uni-Tür bleibt für ihn zu.https://thevoiceforum.org/node/673 )
Even citizens and the human rights community has been consternised by this crude and inhumane application of the law in a country that say so much about integration of foreigners here but through the actions of its public officers hinder such integration. Who is fooling who?. Tawfik is an independent Marxist-Leninist.
Gassen Lbebidy has been an active member of the movement of Arab nationalists since the past 45 years. He studied in Egypt and at other times in Iraq.
He was involved along with his wife in organising various meetings of the communist party veterans. These meetings amongst others was aimed at discussing and proferring solutions to the political situation in Syria and reviving the civil society. Such meetings was always met with stiff opposition and intolerance by the syrian government.
In the year 2002 Gassen Lbebidy organised with members of his family and other activists, demonstrations against the arrest and persecution of the chairman of the communist party of Syria/ Politbureau .This event led to their own arrest persecution and subsequent escape to Germany where they sought asylum and still awaiting their fate 5years after.