Developments in Hassan's case and how the press is covering it. Each item is dated and linked to its source.
Hassan was released on 21 June 2026 after five days in detention, once Moussa al-Omar withdrew his complaint. In a detailed statement afterwards he described his arrest and what comes next (condensed and translated from his Arabic post):
"On 9 June I said this case is bigger than me and than Moussa al-Omar โ recent events have proven my point. I was arrested by eight plainclothes officers, one of them masked; they refused to show ID, an arrest warrant, or to let me call my lawyer. I was held five days in a cell with eighteen others. Moussa al-Omar withdrew his complaint on Sunday. I still face two cases brought by Mohammad Hamsho. Yesterday the Ministry of Justice announced committees to review several laws, including the cyber-crime law. The first drop of the rain."
โ Hassan Akkad, spokesperson for the "Give us the money you owe" campaign ยท condensed & translated from his post of 22 June 2026
Most recent first. Tags indicate the type of development.
After five days in detention, Hassan was freed when Moussa al-Omar withdrew his complaint. He says two further cases โ brought by Mohammad Hamsho via Al-Muttahida (Sinalco) and Ritengo โ still remain.
Per Hassan, the Ministry of Justice announced committees to re-examine several laws, among them the Assad-era cyber-crime law used against him. He called it "the first drop of the rain."
Security forces detained Hassan from a restaurant in Malki, Damascus, under the Assad-era cyber-crime law. No official statement yet on the charges or his whereabouts.
After the summons and a period of lost contact, Hassan confirmed he was safe and promised a fuller statement once secure โ about a week before his 17 June detention.
Hassan is called in under the Assad-era cyber-crime law (Decree 17/2012) and asked to pause publishing pending a meeting.
The ministry says the case stems from Moussa al-Omar's defamation complaint โ not Hassan's other posts โ and asks al-Omar to consider withdrawing it.
After the campaign gained traction, Hassan says he received an official summons and death threats. (Reported by him; not independently verified.)
International coverage situates Hassan's campaign within the broader struggle over corruption and free expression in post-Assad Syria.
Hassan begins pressing donors who pledged to the Syrian Development Fund but never paid โ naming names and totals, and going viral.
A selection of coverage of Hassan and the campaign. Journalists: see the media kit for materials and contact.
Featured long read ยท WIRED Middle EastWIRED Middle East tells the fuller story โ a man tortured under the old regime who came home with hope, only to be jailed again under one of its surviving laws. Read it on wired.me โ
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