Syrian authorities release Jewish antiquities dealer, dismiss charges against him |
Syrian authorities have released one of the country’s few remaining Jews, Salim Hamadani, several weeks after his arrest, a Jewish community activist said on Monday.
Hamadani, an antiquities dealer in Damascus, had been accused of illegal trading in antiquities.
Hamadani was released after 20 days in detention and all charges against him had been dismissed, said Joe Jajati, a Syria-born resident of New York who acts as a liaison between the Jewish community and the Syrian government.
“He got arrested because somebody snitched that he was selling stolen stuff, but he wasn’t and baruch Hashem it’s all good now,” Jajati told The Times of Israel on Monday.
Jajati, a friend of Hamadani who visited him while he was in detention, said on X on Sunday that Hamadani had been cleared of all charges and thanked the Syrian government for its “diligence, cooperation, and for ensuring a fair and transparent trial.”
Jajati added that the government showed Hamadani a........