On 15 March 2012, information technology expert Bassel Khartabil was detained in a wave of arrests in the Mazzeh district of Damascus. He remains in detention despite the fact that no charges have been brought against him.

Bassel Khartabil is an information technology teacher and computer engineer specialising in open source software development. He is a well-known contributor to global software and culture communities like Creative Commons, Mozilla Firefox, Wikipedia, Open Clip Art Library, Fabricatorz, and Sharism.

Bassel Khartabil has been in detention for five months, however, no information has yet been released by the authorities concerning any charges against him. Despite their ongoing efforts his family have been denied any contact with him or information concerning his condition. It was recently revealed that he is being held in Kafarsoussa security detention branch 291.

This information has caused great concern for his physical and psychological safety, as detainees held there have been subjected to torture and inhumane treatment as uncovered in the recent Human Rights Watch report “ Syria: Torture Centres revealed”.