Syrian-American blogger detained

A Syrian-American blogger arrested in the Syrian government's crackdown on protesters could face a three- to 15-year prison sentence, a human rights group said.Razan Ghazzawi, 30, who blogs mainly in English at Razaniyyat and has pushed for the release of political prisoners, is being held in a Damascus jail, an Amnesty International researcher told the Los Angeles Times. She is one of several online activists arrested during the Syrian government's crackdown on the uprising.The Times said it obtained a list of charges from Amnesty accusing Ghazzawi of "membership to a secret organization which aims to change the economic and social status of the state" and "convey[ing] within Syria false news that could debilitate the morale of the nation" and "weakening national sentiment."She is also accused of violating a provision of the Syrian penal code banning "participation in a riotous demonstration." Neil Sammonds, an Amnesty International researcher on Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, said information through Ghazzawi's lawyers in Syria indicated she "has not been ill-treated." Sammonds said her lawyers "are fairly hopeful that she will not be given a severe sentence."Syrian immigration authorities arrested Ghazzawi on the Jordanian border Dec. 4 as she headed toward Jordan for a conference on press freedom in the Arab world, the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, where she works as a media coordinator, said in a statement. Human rights and press freedom groups have denounced the arrest of Ghazzawi, a U.S. citizen by birth who was raised in Saudi Arabia and Damascus.Syrian authorities had no immediate comment, the Times said.The government blames the nearly nine-month uprising on terrorist groups and foreign interventionists.