Prisoner captive jail bars
Prisoner captive jail barsThinkstock

On Monday, Bargas Awidat, an Israeli Druze student held in Syria for the past 12 years, was abruptly released from prison and is now making his way back to Israel.

In 2002 Awidat travelled to Syria to study dentistry. In 2004, however, he disappeared without a trace, leaving his family and Israeli authorities searching for clues.

It was only in 2010 that Syria admitted that it was holding him prisoner in the Al Adra prison complex in Damascus.

Awidat, now 47, was accused of working as an Israeli spy, a claim he denies.

The Druze student had been snatched from his dorm room by Syrian secret police before being summarily tried and convicted of spying. He was given a life sentence.

Since the Syrian civil war erupted, however, Assad has worked to appease the Druze population, many of whom have pivoted away from his murderous regime, and Awidat’s sudden release from prison may be linked to the regime’s desire to repair strained relations with the Druze.