Syrian human rights activist Ammar Qurabi was released a day after Human Rights Watch issued a press release to protest his unjust detention. Qurabi, a spokesperson for the Arab Organization for Human Rights in Syria, was arrested upon his return to Damascus following his participation in two conferences in Paris and Washington that addressed democratic reform and human rights in Syria.
Our March 14 press statement calling for Qurabi’s release was instantly picked up by international newswires and was featured in a story in the Washington Post on March 15. Syrian officials released Qurabi that same day. Going forward, Human Rights Watch will continue to report on the detention of human rights and political activists and denounce abuses against Syria’s suppressed dissidents.
