An Appeal to the free of the world everywhere

A call to show solidarity with the humanitarian campaign to abolish Rule 49/1980 that legalises crime

To the leaders of Arabs and Muslims..

To the peoples of our Arab and Muslim Nation..

To all Arab and Muslim organizations, parties and movements..

To the International Institutions, human rights organizations and international courts..

 To all rulers and peoples of the world..

To our people in Syria : individuals, parties, organizations, institutions, learned and elites.

To every one who has a living conscience.. and to all  who have hearts, hearings and witnesses

This is a call released by the Muslim Brotherhood Movement in Syria to the world, in all directions to join in solidarity to abolish the inequitable Rule 49/1980

This barbaric rule which condemns to death the mere affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood movement was issued on July 7th 1980 in a manifest and provocative endorsement of Hafiz al-Asad.

It is well known that the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria is an Islamic, preaching and civil movement which has a long history of peaceful and democratic participation in the Syrian political life. It has never been a movement of violence or terror; however it was a victim of eradicating and terrorist plan imposed by Hafiz al-Asad on its leaderships, ranks and files, supporters and affiliates. He employed all the practices of killing, violation, detention and torture against the movement under the false and untruthful pretext that the movement had spread acts of violence, whilst he was the one who used such spurious claims to launch genocide against the Islamists and the devout people at large under the war against the Muslim Brotherhood.

It is known also that this evil Rule which is incompatible with the spirit of legislation and which has been condemned by senior consultant jurists as a crime against humanity who witnessed also that no such law has ever been preceded or succeeded in the whole world, however tens of thousands of Syrians were executed with retroactive effect. Detainees in Tadmur prison and other detention centres had been executed for fourteen years pursuant to this barbaric rule. Hafiz al-Asad carried out a vengeance killing in cold blood, tens of thousands of crimes were covered by this law, whilst people were slaughtered or shot by the security according to their identity. 

This rule is still in force despite the fact that a quarter of a century has elapsed since the killing, violation and injustice started, and a number of Syrians were condemned to death pursuant to Rule 49/1980 throughout this year for the mere suspicion of their affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood Movement.

The Muslim Brotherhood movement in Syria calls upon all the free of the world to support its efforts to abolish this barbaric law. It also looks forward upon everyone having a living conscience to join in solidarity and sign our call to liberate the Syrian people from their oppressors, the corrupts and the dictators.

Muslim Brotherhood Movement appeals also to the international juristic institutions, human rights organizations and the international courts to consider Rule 49/1980 and all its consequent sentences as crimes against humanity, to bring those who are responsible for such crimes to the international courts, and to regain the consideration of the wronged and repressed ones who have been sentenced pursuant to this rule. 

London 14 April 2006

Ali Sadereddin al-Bayanouni

Leader

Movement of Muslim Brotherhood