[Financial Times-UK] Andrew England - In 2001 economics professor Aref Dalila was among activists buoyed by a sense of optimism as Bashar al-Assad, the young, new president, was feeling his way into office in the period that was dubbed the Damascus spring. But a reality check hit in September of that year as Dalila and nine others were rounded up in a government crackdown. Dalila, 65, was released on August 7 after spending six of his seven years of detention in solitary confinement. His crime was to argue for reforms and speak out against corruption from the top down.
2008-09-16 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive