A Canadian Citizen Held in Syrian Prisons is Set Free
BEIRUT, Lebanon — A Canadian citizen who had been held in Syrian prisons since last year and was freed after Lebanese mediation said on Friday that while imprisoned he had no idea if anyone knew he was still alive.
The freed captive, Kristian Lee Baxter, appeared emotional and at times jittery at a news conference in Beirut, the capital. A Lebanese general who helped negotiate his release said that Baxter would be heading home. It was not clear when Syria set him free.
Baxter was detained while he was traveling in Syria in search of adventure, Canadian news outlets reported last December.
Lebanon’s General Security Chief, Abbas Ibrahim, said Baxter had been arrested for what the Syrian authorities considered a “major violation” of local laws. While not elaborating, he said the authorities there may have considered his arrest security related.
“I’d just like to thank the Canadian embassy for helping me,” Baxter said, reaching out to hold the shoulder of the Canadian ambassador to Lebanon, Emmanuelle Lamoureux.
“I would like to thank the Lebanese for helping me get free,’’ said Baxter, who fought to hold back tears. “I thought I would be there forever, honestly.”
He added, “I didn’t know if anyone knew if I was alive.”
Baxter’s release marked the second time Lebanon has helped free a foreigner held in Syria. Last month, Lebanese officials mediated the release of an American traveler, Sam Goodwin, who had been held in Syria for two months. The circumstances of his detention in northeastern Syria were unclear.
It is not known how many other foreign nationals, if any, are still being held in Syrian prisons, which are brimming with government opponents after nearly nine years of civil war.
American officials believe that Austin Tice, a journalist, is alive; he was captured in Syria in 2012, but it is uncertain who is holding him.
Mr. Lamoureux, the Canadian ambassador, said Mr. Baxter’s release marked a “wonderful day for Canadians,” and he thanked the Lebanese authorities for helping with this “wonderful outcome.”
Warnings against travel to Syria have been in place since the civil war broke out in 2011. Canada severed relations with Damascus in 2012, like many other western and Arab countries, which criticized the bloody government crackdown on what had started as peaceful protests. More than 450,000 people have been killed during the conflict, which has displaced half of the Syrian population and devastated the country.
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