The Syrian Journalists Association released its report for November 2023, affirming that the Syrian regime remains the most lethal entity responsible for killing journalists in the country.
In detail, the Syrian Center for Journalistic Freedoms in the Syrian Journalists Association documented the killing of media activist Mahmoud Al-Harbi (aka. Al-Kafri) on 11/10/2023 by gunfire from an armed group affiliated with the Syrian regime Maaraba town in the countryside of Daraa. This raises the number of media casualties documented by the center since 2011 to 468 journalists.
In his commentary on Al-Harbi’s killing, the center’s director, Ibrahim Hussein, confirmed to the Syrian Journalists Association’s website that the impunity for attacks and violence against journalists is what drives the Syrian regime to persist in its crimes against journalists and the suppression of freedom of expression in the country.
In the context of periodic follow-ups by the Syrian Center for Journalistic Freedoms regarding the state of media freedoms in Syria and the continuous crackdown on journalists, the center observed several incidents during November 2023. However, it refrained from documenting those violations that did not align with its standards for documenting violations. Nevertheless, it includes these incidents as committed against Syrian journalists as violations against Syrian civilians, highlighting the continued suppression of media freedoms in Syria and beyond.
Furthermore, the Media Department in the Autonomous Administration affiliated with the Democratic Union Party (PYD) on 11/5/2023, issued a new directive intensifying restrictions on journalists and professionals in the media field and media outlets. The directive restricted journalists’ freedom to work across multiple media outlets, stipulating that journalists must obtain written permission from the media outlet they work for if they wish to produce reports or content for another media institution requiring authorization from that specific institution. Failure to comply was deemed a violation of media law, as per the directive.
Violations outside standards:
The team at the Association noted the injury of journalist and Syrian Journalists Association member Duaa Al-Qash, with minor scratches on her foot due to artillery shelling by Syrian regime forces targeting the city of Dana, north of Idlib, earlier in October 2023. Her injury was recorded around midnight on 10/7/2023, but it wasn’t documented due to the absence of direct targeting as a journalist.
Moreover, the security agencies affiliated with the Syrian regime arrested journalist Bashar Najla in the countryside of Latakia. He remains in detention as of the report’s publication. Sources indicate that Najla was arrested by security agencies under the Electronic Crimes Law at the beginning of last November, on charges of “insulting national symbols and offending the President of the Republic in derogatory writings, undermining the state’s dignity, and harming the psyche of the nation.
The Syrian Journalists Association concluded its report by emphasizing that journalists’ ability to practice their profession safely is fundamental to ensure public access to information and to protect basic freedoms. It called on the international community, UN organizations, and concerned entities to support and defend journalists in Syria, urging impartial, swift, accurate, independent, and effective investigations into all claims of violence against journalists in Syria. SJA noted that ensuring accountability for committed crimes is a key factor in preventing future attacks.
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تقرير-شهر-تشرين-الثاني-2023
