Cyber-dissident Ibrahim Zoro released after 23 days in prison

Human rights activist Ibrahim Zoro, who was arrested in Damascus on 5 April, was released on 28 April. He was held on an accusation of trying to organise an unauthorised seminar entitled "The philosophy of lying" and has posted numerous pro-democracy articles online. He was held at Firaa Filestin prison in Damascus. Journalist Muhened Abdulrahman and writer Habib Saleh are still in prison in Syria in connection with articles posted online. ----------------------- 11.04.07 - Kurdish cyber-dissident held in secret for nearly a week Reporters Without Borders today 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 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. Read our weekly "blog review" and create your blog with Reporters without borders : www.rsfblog.org