> I strongly condemn the arrest of a prominent member of the Syrian opposition, Louay Hussein, at the Syrian-Lebanese border on 12 November and his subsequent detention by the Syrian Government. The charge brought against him, “weakening national sentiment and weakening the morale of the nation”, illustrates the arbitrary nature of his arrest. And this is not an isolated case.

> It is the latest in a long list of politically motivated arrests of members of the opposition and human rights activists by the Syrian Government, whose goal is to silence all critical voices. In countless cases, nothing more has been heard of the detainees. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recently criticized the Syrian Government for this practice and called for the release of those concerned. I endorse this appeal and urge the Syrian Government to release Hussein and the countless other individuals detained arbitrarily.