Syrian Kurdish Network presses for journalist's release
Shafaq News – Damascus
The Syrian Kurdish Journalists Network on Saturday demanded the immediate, unconditional release of journalist Hassan Zaza, who was detained without explanation.
According to the network, General Security forces first arrived at Zaza's family home in the Rukn al-Din neighborhood of Damascus on Friday while he was away, then arrested him around 5 p.m. His relatives have received no information about his whereabouts or the reasons for his detention.
Zaza, a member of the General Council of the Free Media Union and Syria's representative to the International Federation of Arab Journalists, suffers from chronic illnesses requiring regular medical care, a relative told Shafaq News.
The Journalists Network condemned the arrest as a violation of press freedom and protections guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, urging authorities to clarify the grounds for Zaza's detention and to ensure journalists can work free from arbitrary interference.
In May, security forces briefly detained Channel 8 journalist Akram Saleh and cameraman Joudi Haj Ali while covering clashes in Sahnaya near Damascus — an incident the Syrian Information Minister later described as a mistake.
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