Jerusalem Post/Middle EastHassan Akkad was arrested and remains in detention for a series of social media posts calling out wealthy businessmen for allegedly failing to follow through on pledges to help rebuild Syria. Follow us on GoogleHassan Akkad attends a private London Screening of 'Refuge' - A multimedia chronicle of human stories from the European Refugee Crisis, focused on humanity and hope BAFTA on June 8, 2016 in London, England. (photo credit: Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARDJUNE 21, 2026 14:41Updated: JUNE 21, 2026 14:51Human rights activist and award-winning documentarian Hassan Akkad was arrested in Damascus on Wednesday over social media posts in which he called on wealthy businessmen to fulfill financial pledges made to help rebuild Syria, according to associates of Akkad and Arab media reports.Akkad, the founder of the ‘Give Us the Money That You Owe!’ campaign, was arrested after a complaint was filed by Syrian journalist and presenter Mousa al-Omar, Al Jazeera reported.“I am sorry for what happened to Hassan as a result of his mistakes; I followed the legal path under the cybercrime law… Everything I pledged, amounting to $700,000 in projects and cash, was paid in the donations,” al-Omar told the Qatar-owned media site, adding that he instructed his lawyers to drop the legal complaint.Earlier this month, Akkad alluded to issues that were ‘bigger than myself and Mousa al-Omar” on his Instagram account, promising to share more information when it became safe for him to do so.Public Prosecutor Judge Hossam Khattab told Al Jazeera that the case against Akkad was dropped, but the Qatari media site reported the activist remained in detention.The Al Jazeera Media Network logo is seen inside its headquarters in Doha, Qatar June 8, 2017. (credit: REUTERS/NASEEM ZEITOON)Akkad is facing multiple legal casesWitnesses claimed that plainclothes officers arrested him at a cafe in the capital while he was meeting with several journalists. Celine Kasem, one of the activists at the meeting, claimed the officers failed to provide any identification, an arrest warrant, or any documentation proving they could legally detain Akkad.“Hassan was taken into custody. Today, his lawyers are with him as he faces multiple legal cases. The fact that we are still operating under the same legal framework inherited from the Assad regime is deeply disappointing,” she stated online. “It is unfair to the sacrifices made during our revolution & to the people who suffered under these laws & regulations. We all know that drafting a new constitution & reforming an entire legal system takes time. But until then, the law should not be abused.”Akkad, who also enjoys British citizenship, was previously imprisoned by Assad's regime for documenting anti-government protests. He fled Syria in 2015 after being physically assaulted by members of the regime, and went on to share his story in the Bafta-winning BBC documentary Exodus: Our Journey to Europe. He then went on to co-direct the Netflix documentary Convergence: Courage in a Crisis.Follow us on Google