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After 18 Days in Detention, Doctor Basel al-Nimeili Expelled from Damascus University
An image of a document attributed to the Damascus University Council shows a decision to permanently expel Dr. Basel al-Sheikh Deeb al-Nimeili, a postgraduate student at the Faculty of Medicine. The decision appears in a list of disciplinary measures against several students.
The document refers to allegations of defamation and insult, but does not provide details of the evidence considered by the committee or explain the doctor’s defense. Al-Nimeili shared an image of the decision, describing the penalty as “unjust and unfair.” He also accused committee members of racism and sectarianism, and called on the ministers of higher education and health, as well as the head of the Damascus Doctors’ Syndicate, to intervene. These allegations reflect his account; the published document does not substantiate them.
Al-Nimeili, who is specializing in cardiac surgery, was detained on October 4 and released on the 22nd of the same month, after 18 days in detention, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
His family previously told Al-Dalil in an exclusive interview that the doctor had reported receiving threats before his detention. They said they received no official explanation during his detention about his whereabouts or the charges against him. The family also said the hospital administration refused to let them review security-camera footage, while their inquiries to the Doctors’ Syndicate yielded no practical help in determining his whereabouts.
The circulated document alone is not sufficient to establish a connection between the expulsion decision and either the detention or the earlier threats. With no published details about the evidence or the committee’s proceedings, the circumstances and grounds for the penalty remain in need of official clarification from Damascus University.
