Alkarama has direct consent from the family of the disappeared to submit this communication form to the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on their behalf and will be able to provide follow up by conveying information between the family and the Working Group.
- INFORMATION CONCERNING THE disappeared person
(a) *Family name(s): Al Bitar
(b) * Given names(s): Mohamed Moataz (محمد معتز البيطار)
(c) Pseudonyms or other forms besides given name, by which he or she may be known:
(d) Sex: Male
(e) Occupation/profession : bus mechanic
(f) Father’s name: Mohamad Ali Mother’s name: Fatat Al Intabli
(g) Date of birth: 1 January 1986
(h) Place and country of birth: Bani Sibai, Homs, Syria
(i) Was the person below 18 years-old at the moment of the disappearance? No
(j) Identity document (passport, national identity card, voter’s card or any other relevant national identity card)
Type: Family card
Number: 252 Bani Sibai
Date of issue:
Place and country of issue: Secretariat of the Civil Registry in Homs, Syria
(k) Nationality or nationalities: Syrian
(l) Address of usual residence: Youth house in Damascus road, Al Sakan Al Shababi district in Homs (حمص –طريق دمشق-السكن الشبابي)
(m) Any other place of residence at the moment of the disappearance
(n) Marital status: married
(o) Indigenous: Yes / No
(p) Pregnant: Yes / No
- INFORMATION CONCERNING THE FACTS
(a) * Date of arrest, abduction or disappearance (at least month and year)
30 May 2013
(b) * Place of arrest, abduction or where the disappearance occurred (be as precise as possible. Indicate street, city, province or any other relevant information)
His house
(c) * Date when the person was last seen (at least month and year), if different from date of arrest or abduction (for example: if seen in a prison months after the initial arrest or abduction)
(d) * Place where the person was last seen (if different from place of arrest or abduction. For example: if seen in a prison months after the initial arrest or abduction. Please, be as precise as possible. Indicate street, city, province or any other relevant information)
(e) Please, provide a full description of how the disappearance took place (attach one page if necessary. Mr Mohammed Al Bitar was arrested at his house during a raid conducted by members of the Political Security. No arrest warrant or justification was provided for the arrest. During the same operation, two of Mr Mohammed Moatz Al Bitar’s brothers were also arrested. One of them was subsequently released while the other one, Mr Bilal Al Bitar, died in detention as a consequence of torture.
(f) * State or State-supported forces believed to be responsible for the disappearance. If the perpetrators are believed to be State agents, please specify and indicate who and why they are believed to be responsible. Be as precise as possible (military, police, persons in uniform or civilian clothes, agents of security services, unit to which they belong, rank and functions, identifications presented, etc.)
The Political Security.
(g) If identification as State agents is not possible, please indicate why you believe that Government authorities, or persons linked to them, may be responsible for the incident
(h) If there are witnesses to the incident, please provide their names and relation to the victim. If they wish to remain anonymous, indicate if they are relatives, by-standers, or others. If there is evidence, please specify.
His family
(i) Additional Information on the case. Please indicate any other relevant information that could be useful to find the person
Mr Mohammed Moatz Al Bitar had already been arrested and detained in the past, together with his brother Bilal. On 7 September 2011, they were arrested by members of the Political Security Directorate at Al Bar hospital, where Mr Mohammed Moatz was hospitalised for a gun injury on his leg – from which he suffers until now –. They were released after 25 days in detention.
- INFORMATION CONCERNING ACTIONS TAKEN AFTER THE DISAPPEARANCE
* Indicate any action taken (police inquiries, jail, human rights commission, habeas corpus petition etc.) taken by the relatives or others to locate the person. You are required to state the following: when, by whom, and before which organ the actions were taken.
(a) Complaints (when, by whom, and before which organ/s)
(b) Other steps taken (when, by whom, and before which organ/s)
(c) If no action was taken, please explain why
His relatives have not submitted any formal complaint to the authorities for fear of reprisals, especially in light of the fact that the Al Bitar brothers have already been has been arrested and detained.
- PERSON OR ORGANISATION SUBMITTING THE COMMUNICATION
* Person submitting the communication
(a) Family name: MESLI
(b) First name: Rachid
(c)Relationship with the disappeared person: Mandated by the family of the victim to submit the case.
(d) Contact details (address, telephone, fax, email): Alkarama Foundation
150 route de Ferney,
C.P 2100, 1211 Genève 2
Switzerland
Tel: +41(0) 22 734 10 06
Fax: +41(0) 22 545 76 55
Email: geneva@alkarama.org
* Organization submitting the communication (if applicable)
(e) Contact details (address, telephone, fax, email):
Alkarama Foundation
150 route de Ferney,
C.P 2100,1211 Genève 2
Switzerland
Tel: +41(0) 22 734 10 06
Fax: +41(0) 22 545 76 55
Email: geneva@alkarama.org
Human Rights Guardians (حماة حقوق الانسان)
Feuzi paṣa CD, k16,
Antakya, Hatay, Turkey
Tel. 0090 535 836 55 30
Email: hr.guardians@gmail.com
- confidentiality request
Yes, keep my identity confidential: _____ No request for confidentiality: X
* Date: 27/02/2015 Place: Geneva
* Signature of author:
Me Rachid Mesli Me Amal Al Naasan
Director, Legal department, Alkarama President, Human Rights Guardians