A prominent Syrian dissident has been detained, a Syrian human rights group said Tuesday. Riad Seif, a former member of the Syrian parliament, was taken into custody Monday evening by security authorities, the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria said in a statement, cited by the AP.
The statement said a warrant for Seif had been issued earlier for his participation in a December meeting of dissidents.
Syria had previously banned Seif from travel. Seif told The Associated Press late last year that refusing to allow him to seek treatment abroad for prostate cancer was "like being sentenced to a slow death."
Seif has spent time in jail for criticizing President Bashar Assad's government.
