Syrian authorities charged 32 people with damaging the reputation of the state following a Wednesday sit-in outside the interior ministry in Damascus. The demonstrators had gathered to demand the release of political prisoners. Security forces dispersed the rally by force, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Among those detained was rights activist Suhair Atassi, along with four relatives of jailed opposition figure Kamal Labwani, who is serving a 12-year sentence. The charges also included inciting sectarianism and harming relations among Syrians. By Thursday, five of those arrested had been freed.
Human Rights Watch estimated at least 34 people were taken into custody and called for all of them to be released. One freed activist reported that security services had demanded Facebook passwords from detainees.
HRW Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson urged President Bashar al-Assad to hold his security forces accountable if he was serious about reform. France condemned the violence against the protesters, and the United States urged Syrian authorities to show restraint.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in March 2011, in its own words.