Syrian-American Activists Fearful for Relatives in Syria | USA | English

Syrian-American Activists Fearful for Relatives in Syria | USA | English

clipped from article:

As protests in Syria continue, Syrian-American dissidents in the U.S. are increasingly faced with a troubling dilemma: Do they pursue their activism from afar - even if it places their relatives and loved ones back home in Syria at greater risk?

Radwan Ziadeh is a Syrian-American activist in Washington. Ever since the uprising in his homeland, this mild-mannered university professor has been a central figure in the Syrian opposition movement in the United States. Then last week, he got the message he had hoped never to receive.

"I get one line from my brother in Syria saying that ‘I have bad news for you, Radwan,'" Ziadeh said.

Ziadeh’s brother, Yasin, a small business owner, had been arrested after a protest in their hometown Daraa. Now, Ziadeh and his family are concerned that Yasin’s treatment in detention will be especially brutal - to pressure his activist brother in the U.S. into silence.