Syrian security forces have arrested a leading Syrian opposition figure and charged him with undermining the national spirit and state unity.
Syrian security arrested Louay Hussein, leader of the Building the State Current, while he was traveling to Beirut, Lebanon.
Hussein's lawyer, Michel Shammas, told The Syrian Observer that Hussein was transferred to a magistrate judge who charged him with undermining national morale and publishing false news.
The charges were based on an article Hussein had written in the Al-Hayat newspaper titled, "The Syrians do not feel they need the state."
Hussein has made a strong return to the political scene since talks have warmed up regarding a political solution at Geneva II. As head of the Syrian state-building opposition group, he is known for his persistence in finding a political solution to the Syrian conflict and for rejecting any military action or international intervention in his country.
The move comes after Assad agreed to consider U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura's proposal to freeze the fighting in the city of Aleppo.
Observers say the move is a message to the international powers that Assad will not accept any political solution.
In an interview with The Syrian Observer published in September, Hussein said that the "Syrian regime needs renewed international recognition, and it has now found an opportunity to get that through communication with Washington about striking ISIS. The regime has agreed to these strikes, if Washington coordinates with it."
"It will try – with Russia on its side – to pressure Washington to communicate with it on this matter. It will not make any effort to discuss how powerful ISIS is, how much territory it controls, or suggest that its threat to the international community is limited to its activities and presence in Iraq. The regime hopes to force Washington to assign it the task of striking ISIS and, moreover, to regain its legitimacy. But this will certainly not happen."
"All of Washington’s strategy toward ISIS is based on getting Russia to give up its last outpost in the region – the Syrian regime."
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
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