BREAKING NEWS

Syrian authorities arrest leading rights defender

DAMASCUS - Syrian authorities on Tuesday arrested a leading campaigner for southern protesters demanding freedom and an end to corruption, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Loay Hussein, a political prisoner from 1984 to 1991, was taken from his home near Damascus. He had circulated a petition on the Internet for solidarity with the protesters, a statement issued by the independent rights organization said.
"His house was broken into. The door was smashed. His fate is unknown," the statement said.