HASSAN AKKAD — ONE-PAGE FACT SHEET
Free Hassan Akkad Campaign · June 2026

WHO HE IS
- Syrian-British filmmaker, author, and activist; born Riyadh, raised Damascus.
- BAFTA winner for "Exodus: Our Journey to Europe" (2017).
- Volunteered as an NHS COVID-ward cleaner (2020); his video helped force a UK
  government U-turn for migrant care workers.
- Author of the memoir "Hope Not Fear"; British citizen since 2022.

WHAT HAPPENED
- After the fall of the Assad regime, he returned to Damascus in 2025.
- In 2026 he launched the "Give us the money you owe" (هاتوا الفلوس) campaign,
  pressing donors who pledged money to the Syrian Development Fund for
  reconstruction but never paid. He says dozens of names and millions of dollars
  in pledges remain uncollected (the Aleppo appeal alone reported at $426m+).
- He named businessman Mohammad Hamsho and media figure Moussa al-Omar (close to
  President Ahmad al-Sharaa).
- June 2026: summoned to the Anti-Cybercrime Branch (7 June) and the Ministry of
  Information (8 June) after al-Omar's defamation complaint; asked to pause posting.
- He briefly lost contact, sparking alarm, then posted that he is safe and has a
  fuller statement to come once he is secure.
- 17 June 2026: security forces detained him from a restaurant in Malki, Damascus,
  under the same cyber-crime law (Decree 17/2012). No official statement yet on the
  charges or his whereabouts.

THE LEGAL BASIS
- An Assad-era cyber-crime law: Legislative Decree No. 17 of 2012 (amended 2022).

REPORTED BUT NOT YET CONFIRMED
- The charges, his exact whereabouts, and his condition after the 17 June detention
  are not yet officially confirmed.
- Hassan says he received death threats (reported by him).
- Reported additional complaints by companies linked to Mohammad Hamsho.

WHAT THE CAMPAIGN ASKS
1. Drop the cyber-crime case.
2. Guarantee Hassan's safety.
3. Make donors honour their public pledges, and account for what was promised vs. paid.

KEY SOURCES
- Enab Baladi (EN): https://english.enabbaladi.net/archives/2026/06/hassan-akkad-faces-legal-battle-over-donation-campaign/
- Foreign Policy: https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/08/syria-sharaa-assad-development-social-media-instagram-satire/
- Enab Baladi (AR): https://www.enabbaladi.net/811287/
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_Akkad

Press contact: freehassanakkad@gmail.com