Background

Ahmed Mustafa Ben-Mohammed, better known as Pir Rostom, 47, is a writer, political activist and human rights defender. He has written fourteen novels in Arabic and Kurdish; he is a member of the Central Committee of the Democratic Kurdish Party and member of the National Council of the Damascus Declaration

Pir Rostom has spent nearly 2 years living in Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, often traveling back and forth from Iraq to Syria and Lebanon. Following his return to Aleppo at the end of October 2009, he was disappeared on 5 November 2009 by plain clothed Political Security agent. Alkarama informed the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances of his disappearance on 19 January 2010. He was detained for nearly 2 months following his disappearance without any contact with his family or his lawyer, and in January 2010 was transferred to Aleppo Central Prison.

He has twice been previously arrested: in December 2007 following a public meeting of the National Council of the Damascus Declaration and in March 2008 in Afrin, his home town.