The New York Times-20080129-Syria- Dissident Arrested- -Brief-

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Syria: Dissident Arrested; [Brief]

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Riad Seif, a former businessman and member of Parliament and a prominent pro-democracy advocate, was arrested at his Damascus home. A lawyer who represents other dissidents being held by the government, Mohanad al-Hassani, said he expected Mr. Seif to face charges related to a meeting of opposition figures at Mr. Seif's house in December. In the hours before Mr. Seif's arrest, a Syrian court charged 10 dissidents with undermining the state for taking part in the December meeting to galvanize opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, their lawyers said. They face vague charges that carry long jail sentences simply for exercising the right of assembly, Mr. Hassani said.

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