Concerns are growing over the safety of Ali Mahmoud Othman, a Syrian activist and head of the media centre in Homs. There are reports that he has been captured and some reports suggest that he may have been tortured although there is no confirmation of this.
Torture is known to be a tool that is often used by the Assad regime and it isn't just reserved for adults. There are many reports and documented cases from human rights groups which state that torture has been used against children and babies.
Others are said to have been detained at the same time as Othman and there is no word on their safety or exact whereabouts yet.
April will mark the 13th month of the uprising and still there seems no end in sight. Syria did recently accept a peace plan put on the table by Kofi Annan but there is no sign yet that the plan has been implemented so the deaths, which now stand at 10,000, and human rights abuses continue.
In a statement Foreign Secretary William Hague said:
"I am very concerned by reports that Ali Mahmoud Othman, the head of the Media Centre in Homs where Marie Colvin, Paul Conroy and other journalists were based, has been captured by the Syrian regime. There are also reports that some of Othman's colleagues have also been detained."
"There are reports that Mr Othman has already been tortured and maltreated."
"I call on the Syrian authorities to release Mr Othman and other political prisoners immediately. The Syrian regime will be held responsible for Mr Othman's safety and his treatment and I will raise his case in Istanbul at the Friends of Syria meeting tomorrow."
"The Syrian regime must immediately implement the six-point plan of UN and Arab League Special Envoy Kofi Annan, including a cessation of all hostilities, a genuine Syrian-led political transition, provision of humanitarian assistance and freedom of access for the media, and the release of political prisoners."
Torture is known to be a tool that is often used by the Assad regime and it isn't just reserved for adults. There are many reports and documented cases from human rights groups which state that torture has been used against children and babies.
Others are said to have been detained at the same time as Othman and there is no word on their safety or exact whereabouts yet.
April will mark the 13th month of the uprising and still there seems no end in sight. Syria did recently accept a peace plan put on the table by Kofi Annan but there is no sign yet that the plan has been implemented so the deaths, which now stand at 10,000, and human rights abuses continue.
In a statement Foreign Secretary William Hague said:
"I am very concerned by reports that Ali Mahmoud Othman, the head of the Media Centre in Homs where Marie Colvin, Paul Conroy and other journalists were based, has been captured by the Syrian regime. There are also reports that some of Othman's colleagues have also been detained."
"There are reports that Mr Othman has already been tortured and maltreated."
"I call on the Syrian authorities to release Mr Othman and other political prisoners immediately. The Syrian regime will be held responsible for Mr Othman's safety and his treatment and I will raise his case in Istanbul at the Friends of Syria meeting tomorrow."
"The Syrian regime must immediately implement the six-point plan of UN and Arab League Special Envoy Kofi Annan, including a cessation of all hostilities, a genuine Syrian-led political transition, provision of humanitarian assistance and freedom of access for the media, and the release of political prisoners."
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