Fayez Sara arrested

The journalist and writer Fayez Sara was arrested in Damascus after participating in a meeting of the Damascus Declaration National Council. A Damascus court subsequently began investigating him on charges of attacking the prestige of the state, disseminating untrue reports with the aim of undermining national morale, influencing sectarian and ethnic divisions and “disrupting national purity” under articles 285, 286 et 307 of the criminal code. He was previously detained for two and a half years after being arrested in 2008 for signing the Damascus Declaration, which called for the lifting of the state of emergency, respect for freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to Assad family rule. He was finally released on 10 May on bail of 5,000 Syrian pounds (73 euros).