AI has learned with sadness of the death from cancer on 3 December 1992 of former prisoner of conscience Dr Nour al-Din al-Atassi. Aged 63, he had been released from prison on 28 August 1992, after 22 years of detention without charge or trial; he was a former President and Prime Minister of Syria and was arrested after the coup of November 1970. 14 other members or supporters of his government remain detained without charge or trial; they include former cabinet ministers, a former ambassador and a former army Chief-of-staff. They are: Salah Jadid, Muhammad ‘Id ‘Ashawi, Marwan Habache, Muhammad Sa’id Talib, Kamel Hussain, Mijali Nasrawin, Fawzi Rida, Hakim al-Faiz, ‘Abd al-Hamid Miqdad, Dafi Jam’ani, Haditha Murade, ‘Adel Na’issa, Hassan al-Khatib and Mustafa Rustum.
