Syrian opposition sources said agents of President Bashar
Assad have been sending threats to opponents in Europe and the United
States. They said the messages include e-mails that threatened to kill the
children and relatives of opposition members.
"The Syrian Ba'ath party secret agents are on the prowl against Syrian
opposition outside Syria," the Washington-based Reform Party of Syria said.
"In what seems to be a deliberate policy, RPS members are getting
threatening e-mails from Syrian agents. The e-mails are threatening to kill
them, their children, and members of their immediate families."
[On Nov. 19, about 3,000 Lebanese protested against the Syrian military
presence in their country, Middle East Newsline reported. The demonstration in Beirut ended without
incident.]
On Nov. 6, Germany arrested a Syrian embassy staffer and charged him
with espionage and issuing threats against the Syrian opposition in Europe.
The staffer was said to be one of scores of Syrian nationals who work for
the Assad regime and ordered to locate and intimidate opposition members.
Several sources have suggested that the threatening e-mails sent to
opposition members in the United States stemmed from the Syrian embassy in
Washington. In July 2004, Syrian ambassador Imad Mustapha was quoted as
saying that the regime was monitoring the movements of Reform Party
president Farid Ghadry. The party filed a complaint with Attorney
General John Ashcroft.
Syrian opposition activists plan to lobby Congress to implement
additional elements of the Syria Accountability Act, including one that
would prevent Syrian diplomats from traveling more than 40 miles from their
diplomatic mission. So far,
President George Bush has refused to activate that sanction.
