Hassan launched a campaign to track Syrian money donated to the country’s reconstruction [Getty]
British-Syrian activist Hassan Akkad has been released from detention in Damascus after spending four days in prison over allegations linked to his criticism of public figures and social media activity.
Akkad, a filmmaker and campaigner, was detained on Wednesday evening after being taken from a cafe in the al-Maliki district of the Syrian capital.
His arrest was linked to complaints filed by Syrian journalist and television presenter Mousa al-Omar, following a public dispute over a campaign launched by Akkad to track financial pledges made by prominent figures towards Syria’s reconstruction.
Akkad is the founder of the “Give Us the Money That You Owe!” initiative, which seeks to monitor whether public commitments made during fundraising drives for Syria are fulfilled.
Following his detention, Public Prosecutor Hossam Khattab said warrants had been issued against Akkad after he failed to appear before the Cybercrime Control Division in relation to al-Omar’s complaint. Khattab also said that other plaintiffs had filed cases against the activist alleging slander and defamation.
Akkad’s release came after al-Omar announced he had withdrawn his complaint.
“My legal representative dropped the right and the lawsuit against my brother Hassan this morning and pardoned him for the sake of Almighty God,” al-Omar wrote on X.
“I was saddened by what he brought upon himself, and I wish him success in his social media activities and I will always be a supporter of him.”
Al-Omar had earlier told Al Jazeera that he had instructed his lawyer to withdraw the case and said that all funds pledged during the campaign had been paid.
Akkad is a prominent figure among Syrians in Britain.
He was imprisoned twice by the regime of former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad for documenting anti-government protests in 2011.
After fleeing Syria, he travelled across Europe before reaching the UK in 2015.
Footage from his journey was later featured in the award-winning documentary series Exodus: Our Journey to Europe, which received a BAFTA award.
The detention sparked concern among some activists and observers, who viewed the case as a test of freedom of expression in Syria following the fall of the Assad government.
