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Syrian activist Hassan Akkad detained in Damascus

Al Jazeera · Jun 19, 2026, 9:49 AM

Key takeaways

  • Akkad, founder of the Give Us the Money That You Owe! campaign, was taken into custody on Wednesday at about 9:45pm local time (18:45 GMT) while at a cafe in the capital’s al-Malki neighbourhood, the statement said.
  • It added that he was summoned by the cybersecurity branch on June 4.
  • “He later became aware that additional cases had also been filed against him, although he was not informed of the identities of the complainants,” the campaign said.

Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.

Syrian journalist Mousa al-Omar reportedly filed a complaint about Akkad’s social media comments prior to his arrest.

xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Hassan Akkad at a private London screening of Refuge in London, UK [File: Eamonn M. Mc Cormack/Getty]By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 19 Jun 202619 Jun 2026British Syrian activist Hassan Akkad has been detained by security forces in Damascus, in an alleged response to his online comments criticising a prominent journalist.

Akkad, founder of the Give Us the Money That You Owe! campaign, was taken into custody on Wednesday at about 9:45pm local time (18:45 GMT) while at a cafe in the capital’s al-Malki neighbourhood, the statement said.

Article preview — originally published by Al Jazeera. Full story at the source.
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