Leading Opposition Leader Arrested

The arrest of political activist Riad Seif was widely covered on opposition websites and in some of the mainstream Syrian press newspapers. Seif, a former member of parliament and now secretary-general of the Damascus Declaration opposition group, was arrested at his home in the capital on January 28.



Seif is the most prominent of the 11 Damascus Declaration members who have been arrested since December. The National Organisation for Human Rights in Syria reported on January 29 that a judge ordered Seif to be detained at the capital’s Adra prison following an interrogation during which three of his lawyers were present.



He has been charged with degrading the dignity of the state, inciting sectarianism, spreading false information, belonging to a secret organisation that seeks to challenge the state, and undermining national consciousness.



Seif was jailed between 2001 and 2006 for opposition activities.