Verdict for Prominent Syria Activist Delayed to Sept. 16

The verdict in the case of prominent Syrian human rights activist and dissident Mazen Darwish has been postponed until September 16, a lawyer close to the case said Monday.

Darwish and fellow activists Hani Zaitani and Hussein Ghreir were arrested in February 2012 and accused of "promoting terrorist acts".

"The verdict for the cases of Hani Zaitani, Hussein Ghreir and Mazen Darwish was postponed until September 16, 2015 after Hani and Hussein did not attend the hearing," said Michel Shammas, a well-known human rights lawyer who has been following the case and spoke with Darwish's lawyer.

Ghreir and Zaitani were released under an amnesty granted in July and Darwish was freed on August 10 pending the final hearing on Monday.

"It seems that the court was planning to drop the charges against all three, after their charges were included in an amnesty issued in 2014," Shammas told AFP.

"But the absence of Hani and Hussein forced the head of the court to delay the verdict to announce the dropped charges for Mazen," he added.

Darwish, Ghreir, and Zaitani were working at the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression when they were arrested.

The three were accused of "promoting terrorist acts" and held despite repeated calls from media and rights groups for their release.

They were moved between prisons several times, and court dates in their case were regularly postponed.

Darwish, who is in his early 40s, has received multiple awards for his work, including UNESCO's annual press freedom prize in May.

The embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad has been criticized by rights groups for its unfair treatment of peaceful anti-government activists.

More than 240,000 people have been killed since an uprising against Assad began in March 2011 and evolved into a civil war.