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Syrian activist Hassan Akkad detained in Damascus

Al Jazeera – News

1d ago

Syrian activist Hassan Akkad detained in Damascus

Summary

British Syrian activist Hassan Akkad has been detained by security forces in Damascus, in an alleged response to his online comments criticising a prominent journalist. Akkad, founder of the Give Us the Money That You Owe! campaign, was taken into custody on Wednesday at about 9:45pm local time (18:45 GMT) while at a cafe in the capital’s al-Malki neighbourhood, the statement said. His detention appears to be related to a legal complaint filed by Syrian journalist and presenter Mousa al-Omar in relation to “Hassan’s social media activities and public comments”, the campaign reported. It added that he was summoned by the cybersecurity branch on June 4. Al Jazeera understands that Akkad is still detained. “He later became aware that additional cases had also been filed against him, although he was not informed of the identities of the complainants,” the campaign said. Al Jazeera reached out to the Syrian government regarding he case but has yet to receive a response regarding the activist’s arrest. Public Prosecutor Judge Hossam Khattab confirmed that Akkad had been detained due to a search warrant being issued for him, but that the case against him had been dropped. Al-Omar told Al Jazeera that he had instructed his lawyer to tell the police that he had dropped the case against Akkad and said he was “saddened” by what had happened. “I am sorry for what happened to Hassan as a result of his mistakes; I followed the legal path under the cybercrime law… Everything I pledged, amounting to $700,000 in projects and cash, was paid in the donations,” he said. Akkad, a refugee and former English teacher in his late 30s, previously won BAFTA and International Emmy awards for documenting his journey from Turkiye to Europe after fleeing the Syrian civil war that began in 2011, during which he was arrested by the al-Assad’s authorities. The statement further questioned the reported use of a cybersecurity law enacted during the rule of al-Assad, arguing that reliance on such legislation “appears inconsistent with the interim government’s commitments to expand protections for freedom of expression following the collapse of the previous regime”.

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Syrian journalist Mousa al-Omar reportedly filed a complaint about Akkad’s social media comments prior to his arrest.

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Asylum & Refugee1h ago

The UK will scan asylum-seekers’ faces for age checks—despite knowing the tech is flawed

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Syrian activist Hassan Akkad detained in Damascus

From the source

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