"George Sabra was released without charge on 19 September after being brought before a civil court judge in Qatana, south-west of Damascus. He had been arrested on 20 July, and spent two months detained incommunicado.
George Sabra’s son Chadi Sabra, who lives in France, told Amnesty International that his father had been arrested by members of the Military Intelligence, who took him to the Military Intelligence branch in Qatana. After a few days, he was moved to the Military Intelligence branch in Damascus and from there to the State Security branch in Damascus, where he remained until his release. According to his son, he was charged with offenses that arose from speaking to national and international media outlets, but all charges were dropped by the civil court judge. While he was detained in each of these facilities, he was questioned repeatedly about his reasons for speaking to national and international media. According to his son, he was not subjected to torture himself, but could hear what he believed to be the sounds of other prisoners being tortured at the State Security branch in Damascus. He did not have access to a shower or bath and was unable to shave. As an apparent result, he had head lice when he was released.
Many thanks to all who took action on behalf of George Sabra. No further action is requested from the UA network. Amnesty International will continue to monitor his case. "