He was arrested in 2012 along with two colleagues and charged with "promoting terrorism", having spread news about the Assad regime violence against the Arab Spring. He has won countless international awards for press freedom and human rights.

Beirut (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Mazen Darwish, one of the most active layers in the field of human rights in Syria, was released yesterday after spending the last three years in prison.

Darwish is director of the Syrian Center for Media and freedom of expression. Together with two colleagues, Hani Hussein and Zaitani Ghreir, he was arrested February 15, 2012 in Damascus, on charges of "promoting terrorism".

In reality, according to his supporters, he was imprisoned for reporting the regime of Bashar Assad's use of violence against opponents in the early days of the Arab Spring.

Darwish's wife, Yara Bader, said that her husband, although free, has yet to undergo a court judgment on 21 August. His colleagues have been free for a month under an amnesty.

41 year-old Mazen Darwish has been awarded with many prizes: in 2011 he received the Roland Berger award for human dignity; in 2013 he was awarded the Reporters without Borders prize and in 2015 the UNESCO global press freedom award.

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