Berlin: German Left Party MP calls on Ribal Al-Assad to help secure release of German Syrian Human Rights activist

ODFS Director Ribal Al-Assad, today met with German Left Party ( (Die Linke) MP Inge Höger, in the German Parliament. They discussed Syria and the Middle East. Ms Höger raised the case of German (Syrian) citizen, Ismail Abdi, who was detained by Syrian security forces at Aleppo Airport, Syria, in August and has since disappeared. Mr Abdi is a lawyer and human rights activist. Ms Höger appealed for ODFS to assist in securing Mr Abdi's release.

Commenting on the meeting, Ribal Al-Assad said:

"I was delighted and honoured to meet MP Inge Höger. We had an excellent discussion about the campaign for democracy and freedom in Syria and the issues faced by the Middle East.

"Ms Höger raised Mr Abdi's case with me and I assured her that ODFS will do everything it can to secure Mr Abdi's release. I condemn the detention of Ismail Abdi and call on the Syrian regime to release him and all other political prisoners immediately.

“Mr Abdi's imprisonment shows that the Syrian regime does not respect basic international human rights standards and is willing to go as far as detaining EU citizens. I urge the regime to allow freedom of expression and association. This will help Syria move towards genuine democracy and freedom in a peaceful and transitional way.”