The arrest of Syrian political opposition figure Toni Daniel in the city of Lattakia, following his public criticism of corruption within the Engineers Syndicate, sparked a wave of widespread criticism, amid accusations that the Syrian transitional government continues practices that restrict freedoms and uses legal tools inherited from the former regime to silence critical voices.
Arrest After Criticizing Corruption
Daniel was detained in front of the Engineers Syndicate building in Lattakia by a white van, without prior notice or a judicial summons, after he appeared on the program “Salon al-Jumhouriya,” hosted by journalist Ahmad Fakhouri, where he directly criticized what he described as administrative and financial corruption within the syndicate and criticized the performance of local officials in the province.
The manner of his detention sparked widespread outrage among activists, lawyers, and human rights advocates, who said what happened amounted to an arbitrary arrest that violates the most basic legal safeguards, sending a message that exposing corruption files could lead to prosecution rather than the opening of investigations into them.
Mohammad al-Abdallah, director of the Syrian Center for Justice and Accountability, said Daniel “was arrested in a manner resembling an abduction” after his appearance on the program, noting that he was taken away in a civilian vehicle without a judicial order or prior notice. He added that circulating information suggests the arrest was based on a personal complaint, and possibly relied on the cybercrime law issued under the rule of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
For her part, architect Nahil Zarba said the cybercrime law “was designed in the Assad era to combat free voices,” calling for it to be repealed or radically amended, and stressing that using it to punish critics turns it into “a sword hanging over Syrians’ necks,” rather than a tool to protect individuals from defamation and abuse.
Before his arrest, Daniel had posted a comment on his Facebook page saying that the episode he took part in exposed to the public what he described as attempts by some former officials to shirk their responsibilities and place all the blame on the former regime, stating that “no one can fool people anymore,” in reference to the discussion held during the program on corruption and local administration issues in Lattakia.
Accusations That Old Tools of Repression Persist
In a related context, lawyer and human rights advocate Michel Shammas sent an open letter to the Minister of Justice, demanding an investigation into Daniel’s arrest, arguing that the measures taken against him violate Circular No. 26, issued on June 29, 2026, which emphasized limiting arrests based on personal complaints and not resorting to pretrial detention except in exceptional cases and pursuant to a written decision from the Public Prosecution.
Shammas said Daniel’s case represents a clear violation of the circular, if his detention was indeed based on a personal complaint and without an offense requiring a technical or digital investigation, adding that the continuation of such measures empties the circular of its substance and confirms that security agencies and judicial police are still acting according to mechanisms that prevailed under the former regime.
He also pointed to the case of Dr. Hussein Ali al-Hamid, who was arrested upon entering Syrian territory on a charge of “undermining the prestige of the state,” a charge the former regime used for decades against opposition figures, arguing that reverting to this charge contradicts official promises to protect freedom of expression and raises doubts about the seriousness of the judicial reforms announced by the transitional government.
For their part, activists questioned the usefulness of talk shows that raise slogans of transparency and exposing corruption if participants are subject to arrest over their opinions, saying Daniel’s detention undermines trust in any space meant to be dedicated to public debate and reinforces fears of a growing crackdown on freedom of expression.
Daniel’s arrest comes days after a number of activists and public figures were detained over posts or public statements, including Mazen al-Arja, Dr. Hussein Ali al-Hamid, and Hassan Akkad, in a series of arrests that human rights advocates see as reflecting a worrying trend toward reusing laws and charges previously used to criminalize opposition figures, despite the Syrian transitional government’s pledges to establish the rule of law and protect public freedoms.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
