Editor’s note: Journalist Adel Walid Kharsa was released on January 9, 2012, after spending more than two months in detention.
Security forces arrested Kharsa on October 21, 2011, in connection with his coverage of protests in Hama, according to Amnesty International. Kharsa’s whereabouts, well-being, and legal status were unknown in late year, but Amnesty International said it was concerned he may have been tortured in detention.
Kharsa had been living in the United Arab Emirates until May, when he decided to move back to his hometown of Hama to report on the country’s popular uprising. Amnesty International said Kharsa had tried working anonymously in his reporting for international news outlets, including Al Jazeera, but his identity became known to Syrian intelligence officers.
Amnesty International reported that Kharsa had previously been arrested by State Security on August 17, 2011, after 16 days in hiding, and was detained incommunicado for five weeks before being released without charge.
According to someone close to Kharsa, he was tortured in detention, possibly in an attempt to extract a forced confession.