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The Syrian Interior Ministry arrests journalist Amer Matar and reveals the reasons
The "Syria Prison Museum" announced the arrest of its founder, journalist and human rights activist Amer Matar, by the Syrian Ministry of Interior at the Syrian-Lebanese border, on Wednesday, September 24.
In a statement through its channels, the museum stated that Syrian authorities arrested the founding director of the "Syria Prison Museum" at the "Jadida" border crossing between Syria and Lebanon at 3:00 PM on Wednesday.
It added that the arrest came days after the museum’s opening at its headquarters in the National Museum in Damascus, a step that was considered to carry "clear indications of targeting freedom of expression and victims' memory."
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior said that the detention of human rights activist Amer Matar was based on information suggesting he exploited his work to illegally obtain official documents related to security agencies and attempted to use them for personal purposes. Matar was notified to review the relevant authority to clarify the full details and refute them.
Meanwhile, the "Museum" condemned the arrest of activist Matar, emphasizing that his detention was unlawful, and considered it reminiscent of the arbitrary detention practices characteristic of the previous Syrian regime.
According to the statement, the Syrian government prevented the museum team members from inquiring about Matar's whereabouts or the agency to which he was taken, with complete opacity surrounding his fate.
The museum’s management held the Syrian authorities, particularly the Ministry of Interior, fully responsible for Matar’s safety, demanding an immediate disclosure of his whereabouts and reasons for his arrest, and calling for his release.
Diab Suryia, director of the "Saddam Prison and Disappeared Persons Association," told Enab Baladi that circulating information indicates a dispute between activist Matar and a member of the Ministry of Interior.
He expressed regret over Matar’s arrest, considering these practices reminiscent of the previous regime’s conduct regarding detention without clear charges or disclosure of the detention location.
Suryia also called on the authorities to clarify the charges against human rights activist Matar.
On the other hand, the director of the Media Office of the Ministry of Interior confirmed Matar's arrest, indicating he will be released on Thursday, without clarifying the reason for his detention.
Amer Matar is a journalist and human rights activist, a former political detainee in the prisons of the toppled President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, according to the museum’s statement. He was also a principal witness in the "Cologne" court in Germany against members of the security services loyal to the previous regime.
