Free Peaceful Syrian Activist Bassel Khartabil, At Grave Risk of Torture

Peaceful activist Bassel Khartabil has been moved to an unknown location from ‘Adra
prison, where he had been held since December 2012. He is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.

Bassel Khartabil was moved to an unknown location on 3 October, from ‘Adra prison, where he had been held since December 2012. He is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. He had been arrested on 15 March 2012 by Syrian Military Intelligence agents in the al-Mezzeh area of Damascus.

He was detained by Military Intelligence incommunicado and without his family being informed of his whereabouts until November 2012, when he was transferred to ‘Adra prison and from there to a Military Field Court and then Saydnaya military prison on 9 December 2012. He later said that his questioning before the Military Field Court took roughly one minute and he was not told its conclusion.

When he was returned to ‘Adra prison in late December 2012, he said that he had been tortured and otherwise ill-treated while detained at Saydnaya military prison.

It is not known why Bassel Khartabil was arrested, but it is likely to have been because of his activities as a peaceful activist and advocate for the right to freedom of expression. He had worked as a software engineer until he was arrested, specializing in open-source software development.

Bassel Khartabil was able to tell his family on 3 October that he had been told to collecthis belongings as he would be transferred, but was not told where he would be taken. His family fear that he has been moved to the al-Qaboun Branch of the Military Police to be brought before a Military Field Court again. Torture and other ill-treatment are rife in these facilities and proceedings before Military Field Courts are grossly unfair.