Syrian Cyber-Dissident Arrested

Via Reporters sans frontières:

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called for the immediate release of arrested human rights activist Ibrahim Zoro, who regularly posts material on foreign-based opposition websites. It noted that two other people were in prison in Syria for posting similar material.

It said the state security service, whose agents arrested Zoro on 5 April 2007 in Damascus, were "as always, acting quite illegally" and his family had not been told why he was picked up or where he was being held. "It is more like a kidnapping than an arrest," the worldwide press freedom organisation said.

Zoro, who belongs to Syria's Kurdish minority, was helping to organise a seminar called "The Philosophy of Lies." He has posted many articles in Arabic on websites such as the blog Tharway and Mengos.

Zoro, 47, has already spent seven years in prison, from 1987 to 1994, for belonging to the Syrian Communist Party. He is a member of the Committee for the Defence of Democracy, Freedom and Human Rights in Syria.

Journalist Muhened Abdulrahman and writer Habib Saleh are also in prison in Syria for posting material online.

Comments

[Global Voices Online » E]

[...] in The Arabist, blogger Tim Seah links to a statement issued by Reporters Without Borders which calls for the immediate release of arrested human rights [...]

[yaman]

is anybody interested able to create a profile for this man on http://www.aelme.org/" rel="nofollow">aelme.org? if not i can get around to it in the next several days.

[SP]

Just read that Abdel Moneim Mahmoud of the Ana Ikhwan blog has also been arrested - any confirmations?

[Tim Seah]

WHAT!? Can you post the link for that item?

[SP]

Here: http://ana-ikhwan.blogspot.com/

[Tim Seah]

OK, made some calls: Abdel Menem is not in custody. Police broke into his house in Alexandria just before dawn this morning, and nine other young MBs did get picked up. Abdel Menem was going to turn himself in, but when he spoke to his lawyer, he discovered that there was no arrest warrant, and so decided not to kidnap himself.

He may turn himself in if he hears that there is a formal arrest warrant, or if Security starts harassing his family.