The International Press Institute (IPI) today repeated its call for Syria to release imprisoned IPI World Press Freedom Hero and Syria Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) founder Mazen Darwish.

Yara Badr, Darwish’s wife and the current SCM Director Manager, told IPI on Friday that Darwish will be transferred shortly to Damascus for an April 15 sentencing hearing on terrorism charges. This will be the eighth hearing for Darwish after being arrested in Feb. 2012 and later charged in 2014 with publicising “terrorist acts”, a criminal offence under Art. 8 of the 2012 Anti-Terrorism Law.

According to Badr, Darwish will be transferred from Hama Central Prison to Damascus via Homs Central Prison on Apr. 11 in preparation for the hearing.  Authorities further issued an order to move one of Darwish’s colleagues, Hani Zitani, from Suwayda Central Prison to Damascus.

Syria’s Anti-Terrorism Court had been expected to render a verdict in Darwish’s case on March 25. In an interview with IPI in early March, Badr had expressed hope that the Court would then honour an amnesty announced in 2014 by the Syrian government that should have applied to her husband.

IPI Executive Director Barbara Trionfi reiterated IPI’s call for Darwish’s immediate release for all charges against him to be dropped.

“The protracted judicial proceedings in Mr. Darwish’s case, not to mention his continued, unjust detention, are unacceptable and in violation of the the 2014 amnesty announced the Syrian government,” Trionfi said. “We urge the Anti-Terrorism Court in Damascus to release Mr. Darwish and his colleagues at the April 15 hearing at the latest and to drop all pending charges against him.”

Trionfi said that, with global attention turned toward Darwish’s plight, the Syrian government had an opportunity to demonstrate a turn toward respect for the rule of law. Darwish was named IPI’s 2015 World Press Freedom Hero in February and honoured at the IPI 2015 World Congress in Yangon, Myanmar, where his wife accepted the award on his behalf. Last week, Darwish was announced as the 2015 winner of the prestigious UNESCO-Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

IPI joined 23 other free expression advocacy groups in March in an open letter to Syrian authorities and President Bashar al-Assad demanding the release Darwish and two of his colleagues.