Syrian journalist and activist Noor Suleiman was released late on Tuesday after being detained by the political security branch in Mezzeh, Damascus, in a case that sparked a wave of public criticism and demands for her release from activists and journalists.
Suleiman, a member of the Syrian Democratic Alliance and identified by supporters as an Alawite journalist, was arrested on Saturday following two consecutive raids on her home.
She had reportedly filmed the first raid and was summoned to the security branch to delete the footage. When she appeared at the branch with her mother, she was detained without any formal charges.
Suleiman had previously criticised the Syrian government and denounced the violence on the Syrian coast and the alleged violations in the city of Suweida in a series of Facebook posts.
Minister of Information Hamza Mustafa said on X that he had contacted Interior Minister Anas Khattab and secured her release on bail guaranteed by the Ministry of Information.
He stressed that her detention was "not related" to her journalistic work and stated that the case would likely be closed soon.
The minister also reiterated the government's stated commitment to press freedoms and warned against hate speech and sectarian incitement, urging Syrian media to engage in "constructive journalism" appropriate for the country's transitional phase.
The case has sparked a broader debate about press freedom in Syria's fragile transitional phase. Critics said the incident exposed the weakness of legal protections for journalists and the authorities' inability to present a genuinely open image.
Researcher and activist Farah Youssef was among those who confirmed Suleiman's arrest. She said Suleiman's family had initially avoided media escalation, but the prolonged silence and lack of transparency forced them to go public and hold Syria's leading politicians, including President Ahmad al-Sharaa, "accountable" for her safety.
In a follow-up post, Minister Mustafa said advocacy for journalists' release should not bypass the judicial process but should instead encourage alternative legal routes "in a state of justice and dignity".