Anwar al-Bunni (Arabic: أنور البني, born 1959) is a Syrian human rights lawyer who has defended clients such as Riad al-Turk, Riad Seif, the owner of The Lamplighter, (an independent newspaper shut down by the Syrian government), Kurdish protesters, and "dozens of others."[1]
Anwar al-Bunni أنور البني | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959 (age 64–65) Hama, Syria |
| Nationality | Syrian |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Known for | Democracy activist, political prisoner |
| Awards | Front Line Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk (2008) German Association of Judges Human Rights Award (2009) |
Al-Bunni was born in Hama to a Christian family active in dissident leftist politics.[1] According to an interview with American journalist Robin Wright, he became interested in defending dissidents after being beaten, bayonetted, and having his beard set on fire by Syrian soldiers during a military sweep of Hama in 1981.[1] Wright describes him as having spent "most of his life" defending Syria's political dissidents, often pro bono, and having sold his automobile and office to pay his bills as a result.[2] He was head of the short-lived European Union-funded human rights training centre in Syria called the Center for Legal Research and Studies until it was shut down by the government following his 2006 arrest.[3]
Al-Bunni defended Damascus Spring activist Aref Dalila at his 2002 trial. After presenting a blood-stained handkerchief as evidence that Dalila had been beaten at the prison, he was ordered from the court by a judge and banned from practicing before the Supreme State Security Court.[4]
2006–2008 imprisonment
editIn May 2006 he was detained by security forces after signing the Beirut-Damascus Declaration calling for democratic reform. A year later he was given a five-year sentence for "spreading false or exaggerated news that could weaken national morale, affiliating with an unlicensed political association with an international nature, discrediting state institutions and contacting a foreign country", according to his lawyer.[5] He was also fined the equivalent of US$2,000 for operating the Center for Legal Research and Studies without government permission. Analysts described the sentence as more severe than those previously given for similar offenses, making it a "stark warning to the Syrian opposition".[3]
Amnesty International designated him a prisoner of conscience,[6] and U.S. President George W. Bush named al-Bunni in a speech as a political prisoner unfairly jailed by Syria.[7]
After his release from prison in 2008, he continued to defend detainees.[citation needed]
2004–present: exile in Germany
editAl-Bunni escaped from Syria in 2012, shortly after the Houla massacre, and later sought political asylum in Germany.[8][9]
In Germany, al-Bunni participated in the universal jurisdiction war crimes trial of Anwar Raslan and Eyad al-Gharib. In June 2020, he provided testimony as a witness on "the horrors and the bureaucratic structures of Assad's jails and torture chambers", based on his five years as a prisoner in Syria and from his legal experience in representing victims. Al-Bunni worked with prosecutors to help find witnesses willing to testify in the trial.[8]
Al-Bunni is more broadly interested in promoting transitional justice.[citation needed]
Awards
editIn 2008, al-Bunni received the Front Line Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk.[10] The following year he was awarded the Human Rights Award by the German Association of Judges.,[11] in 2018 he received the Franco-German Prize for 'Human Rights and the Rule of Law'.[12]
Anwar features in Time Magazine's "The 100 Most Influential People of 2022".[13]
References
edit- ^ a b c Wright, Robin, Dreams and Shadows : the Future of the Middle East, Penguin Press, 2008, pp. 257, 8, 9.
- ^ Wright, Robin, Dreams and Shadows : the Future of the Middle East, Penguin Press, 2008, p. 257.
- ^ a b Hassan M. Fattah (24 April 2007). "Syria jails lawyer over reports of torture". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ^ "Syria: Amnesty International Welcomes Release of Prisoner of Conscience". Amnesty International. 8 August 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ "Syria jails human rights activist". BBC News. 24 April 2007. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ^ "Syria: Release and drop charges against human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni". Amnesty International. 23 April 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ "Road to Damascus". The New York Sun. 14 December 2006. Archived from the original on 26 November 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ a b Graham-Harrison, Emma (12 December 2020). "'My goal is justice for all Syrians': one man's journey from jail to witness for the prosecution". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ Chulov, Martin; Mahmood, Mona (1 June 2012). "The Houla massacre: reconstructing the events of 25 May". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Dublin: 2008 Front Line Award goes to imprisoned Syrian human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni". Front Line Defenders. 2008. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ^ "Anwar al-Bunni". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
- ^ "Syrian human rights lawyer Anwar al Bunni is awarded the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law". Federal Foreign Office. Germany. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ Roth, Kenneth (23 May 2022). "The 100 Most Influential People of 2022: Mazen Darwish and Anwar Al Bunni". time.com. Retrieved 30 June 2022.