Urgent Call: Iraqi Armed Militias Burn 15 Flats Owned By Syrians

Eye-witnesses have reported to SHRC through direct telephone calls from Baghdad this evening that armed men in Iraqi police uniform have attacked and burned flats in which exiled Syrians live in Haifa Street. Up till now, 15 flats have been burnt.


The armed men burnt two flats from block no. 45, belonging to the lawyer Mohammed Bakoor, President of the Syrian Committee for Democratic Action, and his son. Seven flats in block no. 47 were also burnt, one of them identified as the home of the lawyer Abdullah Qawjah, President of the Committee for Defence of Human Rights in Syria, whilst six flats in block no. 49 were also burnt. The number of victims of this attack is still unclear, but the material and physical damage is great.


On the other hand, the fates of Dr. Ibrahim Ahmed Jarkas, Othman Basabasah and Mohammed Badwai, who were detained by the Iraqi Interior Ministry on 9/1/2007, are still unknown.


SHRC once again calls upon the UN High Commission for Refugees to immediately act on this case and provide a safe haven for exiled Syrians living in Iraq. SHRC also calls upon all humanitarian and philanthropist groups to support the Syrian exiles that have been repressed twice, and has no input in what is occurring in Iraq.


Syrian Human Rights Committee