Pastor Nihad Hassan of the Kurdish Evangelical Church in Beirut was released from detention in Aleppo, Syria on August 3, following his arrest on July 19. The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) welcomed the release in a statement issued August 5, describing it as a relief for his congregation and for the many displaced families who depend on his pastoral care and humanitarian work across both Syria and Lebanon.
Pastor Hassan was detained after returning from Lebanon to his home village of Kourdan. Reports indicate his arrest was related to social media posts attributed to him. He is widely known for his spiritual leadership and for providing humanitarian assistance to displaced communities — work that has made him a vital figure for vulnerable populations in the region. His detention had raised concerns among religious freedom advocates about the space for Christian ministry in Syria, and about the potential undermining of the Sharaa Administration's stated commitment to respecting the country's diverse faith communities.
In its statement, the WEA joined Pastor Hassan's lawyer in acknowledging the role of governmental and judiciary officers, as well as the Syrian lawyers' union (Aleppo branch), in ensuring that the rule of law was followed. The WEA emphasised the importance of legal questions being decided by an independent judiciary rather than through prolonged pre-trial detention. The World Evangelical Alliance, founded in 1846, is a global network of churches in over 165 nations, giving a platform to more than 650 million evangelical Christians worldwide.
Source: World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) — worldea.org
