Pro-democracy Syrian dissident arrested

Former Syrian Member of Parliament Riad Seif has been arrested and charged with harming the image of the country, BBC News reported Tuesday. He was also charged with “stoking ethnic and sectarian division,” “disseminating false information” and “belonging to a secret organization seeking to alter the social and economic base of the state.”

Seif was detained after participating in a pro-democracy reform group meeting in December. A further ten attendees have also been arrested.

According to the article, Seif had already been banned from leaving Syria to seek treatment for prostate cancer, and described the restriction as “a slow death sentence.”

The Syrian government is regularly criticized by international human rights groups for its record of arresting and detaining people for political reasons.

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