DAMASCUS, Syria, May 4 (UPI) -- Syrian officials have confirmed they are holding Dorothy Parvaz, a well-traveled journalist with U.S. ties, her fiance said Wednesday.
The Iranian-born Parvaz, a former Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter who arrived in Syria Friday to report for al-Jazeera, was taken into custody immediately upon reaching Damascus and her employer had not heard from her, the Post-Intelligencer said.
Parvaz's fiance, Todd Baker, told the Post-Intelligencer he had been told by al-Jazeera that the top diplomat at the Syrian Embassy in Qatar had confirmed she was in the government's custody. The online newspaper said Syrian officials had made no public statement on the matter and U.S. officials likewise had little to say.
"It's the answer to question No. 1, where is Dorothy Parvaz?" Baker said. "Step two is to return Dorothy Parvaz to Doha. She's a journalist. She's not anything else."
State Department spokeswoman Tanya Powell said Tuesday inquiries had been made with the Syrian government.
"Dorothy is a global citizen -- she grew up in Iran, U.A.E. [United Arab Emirates], Canada and the United States, where she became a determined journalist," Baker said in a statement issued on behalf of his fiancee's family and himself. "She is dedicated to the profession as a force for peace and justice in the world. She is tough and she is a fighter -- no doubt, she is stronger than us.
"We need to know where she is. We need to know who is holding her, and that she is comfortable. She is very loved. We need to know that she is safe."
