A prominent dissident and former MP, Riad Seif, has been arrested in Syria, local human rights groups say. He was reportedly detained for attending a meeting of supporters of democratic reform in Syria. The arrest brings to 11 the number opposition activists detained since December, reports say. Syria does not usually comment on such arrests. Human rights groups say Syria holds hundreds of political prisoners, some without charge or trial.
Mr Seif, who suffers from prostate cancer, had already been banned from leaving Syria for medical treatment, a restriction he criticised as a "slow death sentence".
Mr Seif heads the secretariat of the Damascus Declaration group, which was formed in 2005 and which last met in December to form a national council, bringing together 163 opposition members.
The National Organisation for Human Rights in Syria said Mr Seif was taken into custody on Monday evening by the security authorities after a warrant was issued against him for participating in the meeting. A statement by the group described him as "one of the symbols of the Damascus Spring", the period of political dialogue after the death of strongman President Hafez al-Assad in 2000.
His successor, his son
Mr Seif has spent time in jail for criticising the younger President Assad's government.