Syria Arrests Kurdish Journalist

Syrian state security forces arrested on Monday a Kurdish journalist working for an Iraqi news outlet in the northern city of Qamishli, a relative told Agence France Presse.

Pishwa Bahlavi was filming a report about events in the city marking the Prophet Mohammed's birthday for Rudaw, an Iraqi Kurdish media company, when he was detained, said his cousin Dilkhaz Bahlavi.

"He was arrested by state security forces," said the cousin, who is also an employee of Rudaw in the Iraqi Kurdish capital Arbil, told AFP.

"The security forces said he would be released in 10 minutes, but he has been under arrest for more than three hours," he added.

Syria is the deadliest place in the world for journalists, according to media watchdogs.

Reporters Without Borders says at least 27 journalists have been killed in the country since the conflict began.

More than 130,000 people have been killed in Syria and millions more displaced since the conflict erupted in March 2011.