An international media pressure group Friday called for the release of Dorothy Parvaz, an Al Jazeera journalist held in police custody in Syria following her disappearance on April 29.
"We urge the Syrian authorities to be more transparent about the whereabouts of Dorothy Parvaz, and the circumstances of her detention. If she is being held because of her work as a journalist she should be released immediately," International Press Institute's Anthony Mills said in a statement, DPA reported.
The Syrian authorities have confirmed that Parvaz is in their custody, IPI quoted news reports as saying.
Parvaz, a 39-year-old who holds US, Canadian and Iranian nationalities, works for Al Jazeera's English-language channel. She has not been in touch since she landed in Damascus on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha, the broadcaster has reported.
Foreign journalists have been prevented from entering Syria to cover the latest wave of anti-government protests in the country.
An Al Jazeera spokesman said the broadcaster was "concerned for Dorothy's safety and well-being."
"We are requesting full cooperation from the Syrian authorities to determine how she was processed at the airport and what her current location is. We want her returned to us immediately," IPI quoted the Al Jazeera spokesman as saying.