Syrian regime sentences teenage blogger

Reuters:

The long jail term for high school student Tal al-Molouhi, under arrest since 2009 and now 19 years old, is another sign of an intensifying crackdown on opposition in Syria in the wake of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions, [rights defenders] said. Molouhi had written articles on the Internet saying she

yearned for a role in shaping the future of Syria, which has been under the control of the Baath Party for the last 50 years.
...
Wearing trousers and a cream coloured wool hat, Molouhi was brought chained and blindfolded under heavy security on Monday to the court, which convenes at a cordoned section of the Palace of Justice in the centre of the Syrian capital. Molouhi was motionless after hearing the sentence and said nothing. Her mother, who was waiting in the courtyard, burst out crying after being told the sentence.
...
Molouhi's mother, who saw her only twice since she was arrested....

Read it all.

I've been foolish to ever entertained the thought that President Bashar al-Assad would be different from his father.

Check out the Wikipedia entry for Tal al-Mallohi.