On February 16, 2026, Syrian authorities detained Dr. Muhammad Khair al-Ghabban al-Husseini, a scholar of Quranic Sciences and the President of the International Universities Union, after a series of public criticisms he directed at government officials.

Al-Husseini, a prominent public academic, had recently posted a social media video detailing the “tragic conditions” in Idlib refugee camps after severe flooding. He noted that he had tried to raise his humanitarian concerns through official channels, including by reaching out to the Presidential Palace’s General Secretariat. He had previously posted other videos about local governance failures, including complaints about state-approved construction projects that obstructed residential homes.

Authorities arrested al-Husseini in the city of Hama without providing a legal justification for his detention. Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Akkari reported the arrest in a Facebook post, condemning the move as an attempt to “silence dissent.”

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the arbitrary arrest of a scholar in apparent retaliation for the nonviolent exercise of the right to freedom of expression —conduct which is expressly protected by international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. State authorities must refrain from restricting or otherwise interfering in the nonviolent exercise of such rights. In addition to the harm to the immediate victim, such actions undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://syrianobserver.com/syrian-actors/academics-arrest-in-hama-raises-questions-about-freedom-of-expression-in-post-conflict-syria.html
https://www.instagram.com/p/DUvDAfzEa2B/
https://snacksyrian.com/توقيف-أكاديمي-في-حماة-بعد-توجيه-انتقاد/
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2316814025496615&set=a.105487493295957&type=3&ref=embed_post
https://yallasyrianews.com/a/95053