Haitham Al-Maleh, a prominent Syrian human rights defender and laureate of the 2010 Alkarama Award, was released from Damascus Central Prison (Adra prison) today and finally reunited with his family. Al-Maleh was released following a presidential amnesty freeing certain prisoners, including those over the age of 70.

Al-Maleh has been arrested several times throughout his life for his human rights work. His most recent arrest took place in October 2009. In early July 2010 he was sentenced to three years imprisonment by the Damascus Military Court and charged with "disseminating false information and weakening the national sentiment".