Michel Kilo, 66, a pro-democracy campaigner and one of Syria's most prominent writers, is sentenced Sunday, May, 13, 2007 to three years in jail on charges of spreading false news, weakening national feeling and inciting sectarian sentiments.
Three other human rights activists also received jail terms ranging between 3 to 10 years. The number brings to six the number of government critics and human rights activists to be sentenced in the last month.
"We are not criminals, we are patriotic people," said writer Michel Kilo from behind bars after Judge Zaher al-Bakri of the Damascus Criminal Court read out the verdict.