Faction urges Syria to release Palestinian intellectual

The Palestinian Liberation Front on Friday called on the Syrian regime to release a Palestinian intellectual detained in late April. Salameh al-Kila was detained on April 24 by Syrian security services from his Damascus home. The reason for his arrest is unknown. "This arbitrary arrest is considered an infringement on freedom and on creative thinking. It can not be justified or tolerated," the PLF said in a statement. The militant group, which was backed by Syria in the past, called on the government to release al-Kila, who had previously spent 8 years in a Syrian jail. The leftist writer was born in Birzeit in 1955 and is a well known Marxist. He has written for several newspapers and magazines and is a published author.