Mazen Darwish is a Syrian lawyer, journalist, and prominent human rights defender. He is the founder and president of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression. In February 2012, Darwish was arrested by Syrian authorities during a raid on the SCM’s offices in Damascus. He was charged under Syria’s 2012 Anti-Terrorism Law with “publicising terrorist acts” and was detained incommunicado for over three years. During his imprisonment, Darwish was reportedly subjected to torture and other ill-treatment. His case drew widespread international condemnation, with human rights organisations and governments calling for his immediate release. On 10 August 2015, Darwish was conditionally released from prison. Subsequently, on 31 August 2015, all charges against him were dropped by an anti-terrorism court in Damascus. The court ruled that Darwish and his colleagues were covered under a political amnesty issued in 2014. Following his release, Darwish and his wife, Yara Bader, fled Syria and settled in Germany. Since then, he has continued his advocacy for human rights and press freedom, serving as a prominent voice for Syrian civil society in exile. In 2016, he was appointed as one of the Secretaries General of the International Federation for Human Rights.