"The state security service in Hasakah arrested activist Osama Edward Qario on Wednesday evening because of his activities and his writings about public life in Syria," the Syrian League for the Defence of Human Rights said.

The 31-year-old English teacher had recently been called in by the security services over a critical article he had written about the economy entitled: "No gas, no oil, no electricity," the watchdog added.

The Committees for the Defence of Democratic Freedoms and Human Rights in Syria, to which Qario belonged, condemned his arrest and expressed concern about what would happen to him in custody.

Syria has detained more than a dozen dissidents in recent months in a mounting crackdown that has drawn strong criticism from the West.