Release of Jordanian Journalist Ameir Gharaibeh After Five-Year Detention in Syria

Release of Jordanian Journalist Ameir Gharaibeh After Five-Year Detention in Syria
November 19, 2024, 10:02 am

الصحفي الأردني عمير الغرايبة

The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today the release of Jordanian journalist Ameir Gharaibeh, who had been held in Syria since 2019, and his return to Jordan has been secured.

The ministry's spokesperson, Ambassador Sufyan al-Qudah, explained that the release of Gharaibeh occurred thanks to a special presidential pardon issued by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Gharaibeh was transported in an official vehicle from the Jordanian embassy in Damascus to the Jordanian border, where he was handed over to his family.

Al-Qudah confirmed that the ministry closely monitored Gharaibeh's detention case through the Jordanian embassy in Damascus and maintained continuous communication with the Syrian side to ensure his release. The ambassador also expressed his appreciation to the Syrian leadership for the presidential pardon decision, thanking the Syrian authorities for facilitating this process.

### Details of Gharaibeh's Detention

The events surrounding Gharaibeh's detention date back to February 7, 2019, when he set out with two friends on a trip from Jordan to Damascus, where he documented moments from the city through his lens.

On February 10 of the same year, while returning to Jordan on a bus, they were stopped at a checkpoint in the village of Manket Hatab in the rural Damascus area, which is controlled by the Syrian Air Intelligence. After inspecting his camera and reviewing the stored images, the forces arrested Gharaibeh and transferred him to an unknown location.

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