Activist In Syria Sentenced To Five Years

April 2, 2006 -- A report from Syria says a human-rights activist has been sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly disseminating false information and forming a secret organization.

The German news agency dpa reports that rights activist Riyadh Darar was arrested last June after speaking at the funeral of a Kurdish sheikh. He was a member of the Committee for Reviving Civil Society.

There was no comment from Syrian officials.

Dpa reports that since taking office in July 2000, Syrian President Bashar Assad has released hundreds of political prisoners, but has also clamped down on pro-democracy activists.

(dpa)