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Federal Minister Westerwelle appalled by targeted killing of Syrian opposition activist Mishaal al-Tammo
Mishaal al-Tammo, a human rights activist and member of the Syrian opposition, was brutally murdered in Qamishli on 7 October 2011. Al-Tammo was a spokesman for the Kurdish Future Movement Party and a member of the general secretariat of the newly founded Syrian National Council. He had been arrested in 2008 and 2009, and was most recently released from prison on 2 June 2011 in the context of an amnesty.
Al-Tammo was shot dead by multiple unknown gunmen in his apartment in Qamishli. One of his sons and a female activist were seriously injured in the attack. Al-Tammo had been receiving death threats for weeks and had escaped an attempted attack in August.
Federal Minister Westerwelle issued the following statement today (8 October) on the killing of Mishaal al-Tammo:
“I am appalled at the killing of Mishaal al-Tammo. He had the courage to call for a new Syria based on freedom, democracy, tolerance and human dignity; he had become a role model for many Syrians. And now this has cost him his life. Mishaal al-Tammo has become yet another victim of a brutal and lawless regime.
The regime in Damascus should not deceive itself that the will of the opposition can be broken through violence. And international pressure is not going to let up. On the contrary, it will continue to intensify. A policy of sheer violence will ultimately fail. Together with its partners, Germany will continue to do everything it can for the people of Syria.”
The European Union’s External Relations Council will address the situation in Syria on 10 October.
