For now, the fate of Syrian blogger Tal al-Mallohi remains uncertain. She has been held without charge since December 2009 following her arrest in Damascus. If charged with espionage, she faces execution. Little is known about her captivity, but human rights activist and blogger, Ahed al-Hendi, has a guess. I reached him by phone at his home in Washington, D.C., recently.

"My expectation is she has been through a lot of torture," he said.

Ahed has reason to suspect the worst. Four years ago, he himself was arrested for criticizing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on a blog. Along with his cousin, Ahed was taken from a Damascus Internet cafe after the owner reported them to Syrian Secret Police.

Stripped of his clothes, Ahed was held in solitary confinement in a windowless cell. He wrote the date on the door with a sliver of soap, December 15. When guards said that he would remain there indefinitely, Ahed wrote the year, 2006.

From that cell, Ahed could hear screaming as guards tortured his cousin for the names of political dissidents. Only, he didn't think the screams came from his cousin -- Ahed thought he was dead.

"I asked about my cousin when they took me out for questioning," Ahed recalls. "They said he died. And I believed them."

During questioning, Ahed asked for his clothes back, and finally the guards agreed. "I was very lucky," he said.

In some ways, al-Hendi was lucky. Unlike his cousin, he was never physically tortured while in custody, though he cannot explain why.

"Maybe I did a better job of playing dumb," he suggested. "Or, maybe they got everything they needed from my cousin. The torture they use . . . they can make you say anything."

Whatever the reason, Ahed escaped physical injury and, following a week in solitary confinement, he was transferred to a crowded cell.

He and his cousin were released after just one month in prison. In the weeks that followed, Ahed was often pulled in by authorities for questioning. When he realized that his life would never be the same in Syria, he fled to Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon.

From Beirut, Ahed applied to the United States for refugee status. I first spoke with Ahed in 2007 while he was waiting in Lebanon for his paperwork to go through.

During that interview, he said, "Last Christmas I was in prison. This Christmas I am in exile. I wonder what Santa will bring me next year." He paused to put out his cigarette. "Change. I hope for change."

Ahed got his wish. He now lives in Washington, D.C. After earning a business and political science degree from The University of Maryland, he currently works as a contributor for CyberDissidents.org,a group dedicated to free speech for political bloggers.

Ahed remains active in the fight for human rights in other ways, as well. Recently he attended protests at the Syrian Embassy in Washington, although he admits the gesture is largely symbolic. Of the Syrian government, Ahed says, "They will not listen."

"So, what do you hope to accomplish?" I ask.

"It's to show that we are standing with you," Ahed says, referring to 19-year-old Tal al-Mallohi and other political dissidents in exile or captivity.

"And what of Tal?" I ask. "What do you think will happen to her?"

The phone goes quiet as Ahed tries to formulate an optimistic reply. After a moment he must admit, "I don't think they will release her."

Jeremy Kroeker is a freelance writer living in Canmore. www.jeremykroeker.ca