Syrian Government Arrests 78 Year Old Human Rights Activist

Of course this won't dissuade our smart power admin from reaching out to these tyrants, but its worth a try, perhaps the Obama admin might even get wise to the true nature of these regimes:

LONDON (Reuters) - Syrian authorities have arrested a 78-year-old dissident who is among the last vocal critics of the government inside the country, rights activists in Syria and London said Thursday.

Haitham Maleh, a leading lawyer who spent seven years in jail in the 1980s, was taken to a security headquarters in the Syrian capital Wednesday and has not been heard from since, they said.

"They do not want anyone, not even an ant, to speak out. We are going back 20 years," one of the activists said.Maleh had been defending Mohannad al-Hassani, a fellow lawyer who was arrested in July and accused of "weakening national morale" after he called for the release of political prisoners and documented their plight.

Yes a 78 year old, I can see how that is a threat to a fascist regime.