Al Jazeera airs fears for arrested staffer

Doha: There is growing concern about the refusal of the Syrian authorities to release Al Jazeera English journalist Dorothy Parvaz, who was detained on arrival in Damascus on April 29.

Parvaz, who holds US, Canadian and Iranian citizenship, is being held by one of Syria's myriad security services. It was five days before officials even admitted she was being held. Calls for her release have come from international press freedom organisations, such as the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, and from many of Parvaz's current and former colleagues.

Parvaz, 39, is an experienced journalist who recently reported on the Japanese earthquake for the network.

"We are worried about Dorothy's welfare, security and safety. Syria should release her immediately," said a spokesperson for Al Jazeera. She also held journalism fellowships at both Harvard and Wolfson College, Cambridge.

Professor Richard Evans, the president of Wolfson College in a statement expressed "great concern" about Parvaz's fate.