A closely connected source has reported that the Syrian Authorities arrested the youth, Qutayba al-Issa, upon his return at Damascus Airport on Thursday 19/3/2010. Qutayba had returned from Malaysia where he is pursuing his studies in Management and Political Science, and preparing his thesis for a PhD.

 Qutayba al-Issa was born in the city of Homs, from the Bedouin tribe of al-Ageedat. He studied at the Islamic Institute, which is managed by Khalid Ibn Al-Walled Mosque, then continued his studies in the Department of Specialisation in the Damascus Branch of Al-Azhar. He also has a certificate in the knowledge of al-Quran, and according to the source, he is known of being good and moderate. Qutayba also travelled to South Africa where he taught in some of the schools and mosques, before travelling to Malaysia to continue his studies.

The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) considers the arrest of Qutayba al-Issa and his disappearance in the Syrian prisons as contradictory to the Syrian Constitution and international treaties signed by Syria, particularly as he is not known to have committed any act worthy of arrest or punishment. Therefore, SHRC calls upon the authorities responsible for his arrest to release him immediately. If the authorities accuse him of committing any offence then he should be released and tried at a court in which he enjoys his freedom and has the right to defence.

Syrian Human Rights Committee
21/3/2010