By : JD News Desk
Jordan Daily – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates announced on Monday the release of Jordanian journalist Omair Al-Gharaibeh, who had been detained in Syria since 2019. He has been safely returned to the kingdom.
Ministry spokesperson, Ambassador Dr. Sufian Al-Qudah, confirmed that Syrian authorities released Al-Gharaibeh following a special presidential pardon granted by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. The Jordanian embassy in Damascus facilitated his return, escorting him to the Jordanian border in an official embassy vehicle, where he was reunited with his family.
Al-Qudah expressed Jordan’s appreciation to Syria for granting the special pardon, commending the efforts of Syrian officials and their cooperation in ensuring Al-Gharaibeh’s release.
On February 7, 2019, Omair Gharaibeh and two friends entered Syria from Jordan to visit Damascus. As a professional photographer, Gharaibeh brought his camera with him and, during the trip, captured panoramas of the city of Damascus.
On February 10, Gharaibeh and his friends were travelling back to Jordan on a bus, when they were stopped at a checkpoint in Minkt Al Hatab, near the city of Al Kiswah in the countryside south of Damascus. The checkpoint was under the control of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Directorate. After looking at the pictures saved on his camera, officers of the Air Force Intelligence arrested Gharaibeh and took him to an unknown location, according to human rights organizations.
