Geneva — SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties stated that it had received a field report from sources in the city of Mokha indicating that forces of the National Resistance, led by Brigadier General Tareq Saleh, had arbitrarily detained journalist Adel Al-Nazeeli and taken him to a secret detention facility without any legal grounds, where he has been held for the past three days.
The organization indicated that preliminary information shows that the arrest was carried out at Al-Nazeeli’s home in Mokha by a force composed of three military vehicles led by officers affiliated with the security sector on the western coast. The sources reported that the force first took Al-Nazeeli to what is known as the “Control Center,” before later transferring him to a detention site known as “Al-Qanuniya” in Al-Khoukha District.
The organization added that the reports it received confirm that the arrest followed Facebook posts published by Al-Nazeeli in which he criticized the leadership of the National Resistance, accusing it of pursuing a “family project” rather than a national one. His posts also included criticism related to the region from which some of the resistance leadership hail, something influential figures within the group considered “an unacceptable insult.”
SAM affirmed that Al-Nazeeli, who works with the media center of the National Resistance and resides in Mokha, disappeared after posting those comments early Monday morning. It later became clear that he was being held in the Al-Qanuniya facility, a detention site long associated with concerns regarding its compliance with legal standards and conditions of confinement.
The organization further explained that consistent testimonies pointed to the involvement of security officials — including an officer known as “Al-Fares” — in the arrest and transfer of Al-Nazeeli, while other sources indicated that the operation took place under directives from high-ranking figures within the resistance formations.
SAM concluded its statement by stressing the need for the immediate and unconditional release of Adel Al-Nazeeli, warning of the grave consequences of his continued detention outside any legal framework. It emphasized that the leadership of the National Resistance must officially disclose his whereabouts, allow him unrestricted communication with his family and lawyer, and open an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances of his arrest and the violations accompanying it.
The organization also underscored that any continued use of security apparatuses to pursue political or personal reprisals against journalists constitutes a blatant violation of fundamental freedoms and undermines the public’s right to information. It called for an immediate end to such practices and for ensuring full protection for media workers from arbitrary targeting.