Czech woman freed by Syrian officials

Syrian authorities Saturday released a Czech woman held since the end of last month on suspicion that she had links with the opposition fighting the Damascus regime, the Czech foreign ministry said. "Czech national Sandra Bitarova arrested and held in Syria was freed today," spokesman Vit Kolar said. "She is safe and sound, according to the embassy in Damascus." Czech television channel Ceska Televize (CT) said her father, a Syrian national, was part of the moderate opposition against President Bashar Assad. It said she was based in Damascus and worked in an advertising agency. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says more than 20,000 people have died in a brutal crackdown after the anti-Assad protests erupted last year.