Bakr Qassem and his wife Nabiha Taha, both of whom work as journalists for local and international agencies, were stopped and beaten by members of the Turkish intelligence service stationed in al-Bab city centre.
Bakr Qassem, a Syrian journalist working for several media outlets including AFP, was arrested by the Turkish intelligence service and the so-called Military Police in al-Bab city on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.
According to SOHR, Bakr Qassem and his wife Nabiha Taha, both of whom work as journalists for local and international agencies, were stopped and beaten by members of the Turkish intelligence service stationed in al-Bab city centre.
Bakr Qassem has reportedly worked for Agence France-Presse since 2019, as well as for the Turkish state agency and the AKP-controlled Anadolu Agency.
Al-Qasem was later transferred to the village of Hawar Kilis, situated on the Syrian-Turkish border in northern Aleppo, at the request of Turkish intelligence. He is reported to have faced several charges, including preparing reports for the benefit of several parties.
After the release of the journalist’s wife, members of the Turkish intelligence service stormed his house and confiscated all electronic devices, storing devices, cameras, mobile phones, laptops, gold and money, according to SOHR.
Nabiha Taha told AFP she and her husband were detained on Monday in the city of Al-Bab where they live, near the border with Turkey, as they returned by car from covering an event.
Taha said she was released a short time later, but Qassem was still detained, adding that she did not know "the reason for his arrest nor the place where he is being held".
She said their telephones were seized and their house was searched, with Qassem’s computer and cameras also confiscated.
AFP editor Sophie Huet and SOHR demanded the journalist's immediate release.
