VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 9 (UPI) -- The University of British Columbia has joined the call for the release of a North Vancouver reporter Syrian authorities say they have detained for 12 days.
Reporter Dorothy Parvaz, 39, disappeared April 29 after she arrived in Damascus to cover anti-government demonstrations on assignment for al-Jazeera.
She de-planed but never arrived at her hotel and has not been heard from since. Syrian authorities acknowledge they detained Parvaz on arrival and her family says it wants to know more details, The Vancouver Sun reported Monday.
"She is tough and she is a fighter -- no doubt, she is stronger than us," her family said in a written statement released on May 2. "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."
Parvaz earned an undergraduate degree at UBC and the university has joined the Parvaz family in calling for her release. She worked as a feature writer for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and joined al-Jazeera in 2010.
"When one journalist is attacked, we're all attacked," said Professor Peter W. Klein, head of the School of Journalism's International Reporting Program. "All journalists feel the pain, but so do all citizens of the world. Reporters like Dorothy Parvaz serve as critical eyes and ears in these hot spots."
