There have been unconfirmed but troubling reports circulating in the media about Abdul-Aziz al-Khayir, the leftist leader and activist who continues to be detained by the Syrian authorities. Usually, to ascertain whether this is true or not, and in the process, expel one’s sense of doom, one contacts Youssef Abdelke.
To be sure, the Syrian dissident artist almost always has accurate information on Khayir’s fate. For months now, Abdelke has been stubbornly fighting for the release of Khayir, his comrade at the Communist Labor Party (CLP), and head of the external affairs division at the National Coordination Body for the Forces of Democratic Change in Syria (NCB).
This time, however, Youssef did not answer his phone. There are no signs of life at his famous atelier in Souk Sarouja, in the heart of Damascus’ old city, where he had settled after his permanent return from Paris. So where is Youssef now?
The same old scenario has once again repeated itself: At a checkpoint manned by members of one security agency – exactly as had happened with Khayir upon his return from China last September – Abdelke was arrested on Thursday evening, July 18, near Tartous, along with NCB member Adnan al-Dibs and CLP member Toufiq Imran.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/syrian-artist-versus-regime