Syria court sentences human rights lawyer to 5-year prison term News
Syria court sentences human rights lawyer to 5-year prison term

[JURIST] A Syrian court Tuesday sentenced human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni [Human Rights First backgrounder] to five years in prison and imposed a $2,000-equivalent fine for spreading false information harmful to the state. Al-Bunni has been detained since he and several other activists were arrested last year [JURIST report] following their signature of the Beirut-Damascus Declaration [text]. The declaration calls for normalization of relations between Syria and Lebanon [JURIST news archive], a properly demarcated border, the release of political prisoners and the exchanging of ambassadors. Khalil Maatouk, al-Bunni's lawyer, announced plans to appeal the decision.

Both Maatouk and Amnesty International [advocacy website] describe the ruling as an attempt to intimidate Syrian society [statement] and quell dissent. According to Amnesty, al-Bunni's arrest and charges stem from his legitimate work to further human rights. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

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Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

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