Syria crisis: bishops kidnapped by rebels – live updates

A friend of Boulos [or Paul] Yazigi, one of bishops abducted in Aleppo province, has confirmed that the Greek orthodox cleric had questioned the Assad regime and did not rule out government involvement in his disappearance.
But Nadim Nassar, an Anglican priest from Syria and director of the London-based ecumenical charity, the Awareness Foundation, said it was impossible to speculate who was to blame for the kidnapping.
He last spoke to Yazigi via Skype last week while he was visiting a parish in Turkey. The bishop disappeared after returning from that trip, Nassar said in an interview with the Guardian.

Probably nobody knows exactly what happened, but he was picked up by another bishop [Yohanna Ibrahim], who is the Syriac bishop in Aleppo. Ibrahim, and his driver, went to pick him up from the border of Turkey to come back to Aleppo. Apparently they were both kidnapped and the driver – who I think was a priest – was killed, and the two bishops disappeared.

Asked about whether Yazigi was a critic of the government, Nassar said:

We all want change in Syria but without bloodshed … The aim is not about just criticising the government. As good citizens we all demand better conditions of freedom of speech, and freedom of religion and freedom of journalism. We are talking about the basics of a free society. It is not about criticising anybody, it is about tangible changes we can build upon. That’s the basis of Syrian conflict.
Both sides, whether opposition or the government, have [made] huge mistakes in the last two years, and thousands of people have died senselessly.

He added: “He [Bishop Yazigi] believes in diversity like we all do – that the fabricate of Syria is diverse and we should all respect and protect this diversity. We should respect the colourful nature of the [Arab] Spring.”
Opposition activists suspect the bishops could have been abducted by Assad’s forces. The state news agency has blamed rebels. Nassar said:

It is very difficult, because a lot of radical Muslim groups are operating in Aleppo. All I say is that their safety and release is very important for the co-existence for the society in Syria. We have to defend diversity in Syrian society at all costs.
… It is extremely difficult to say who kidnapped him, or to speculate. We are facing a very difficult and complicated situation in Syria. It is not black and white. It is impossible to speculate unless a specific group declares responsibility.

He added:

I heard about the involvement of [opposition leader] George Sabra in this process [of trying to secure the Bishops freedom]. I hope and pray that he will be successful, as I pray for the freedom of all who kidnapped in Syria. It is like a business that has flourished in Syria in the last year for ransoms. Kidnapping has become a fear and terror of daily life for Syrian people.