During the "spring," democracy and human rights activists were allowed a measure of freedom denied during the presidency of Bashar's father, Hafez Assad.
In London, the Arab Press Freedom Watch condemned this week's arrests and urged the world to press Syria to release the detainees.
"The Baath regime seems to have lost patience for the increasing voices of the opposition and decided to step up political detention," Freedom Watch said in a statement.
The Syrian Organization for Human Rights also called on the world to intercede with the Damascus government to stop "this series of rights violations against activists."
Relations between Lebanon and Syria plummeted after last year's assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, which many Lebanese blame on Syria.
The killing, in which Syria denied any role, provoked massive international and Lebanese pressure on Damascus, forcing it to withdraw its troops from Lebanon in April 2005, ending 29 years of military presence in the country.
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