In 2023, the Syrian Journalists Association documented 35 violations against the media in Syria, including the killing of two journalists

The association released its annual report that monitors violations against the media in Syria during 2023, coinciding with the anniversary of its establishment on February 20, 2012.

The Syrian Center for Journalistic Freedoms in the association documented 35 violations against the media, bringing the total number of violations recorded by the center since March 2011 to 1,511 violations.

The report indicates that 2023 was no different from previous years in terms of the danger faced by journalists covering events in Syria. As usual, Syria ranked at the bottom of the global press freedom ranking issued annually by Reporters Without Borders, placing Syria 175th out of 180 countries, signifying it as one of the ten most dangerous countries for journalists.

In 2023, the Syrian opposition topped the list of entities responsible for violations

accounting for 12 out of the total 35 violations documented during the previous year. Meanwhile, the Syrian regime continued its pattern of violating the rights of journalists in 2023, Meanwhile, the Syrian regime continued its pattern of violating the rights of journalists in 2023, ranking second with responsibility for 7 violations, including the fatal targeting of two journalists. Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) came third with responsibility for 5 violations, the same number committed by Turkish authorities against Syrian journalists in the previous year.

The Democratic Union Party (PYD) forces ranked fourth in the list of violators, responsible for 4 violations, while the entities responsible for two violations remain unidentified.

The Syrian regime tops the list of violators since 2011

The Syrian regime has consistently topped the list of entities responsible for media violations in Syria since 2011, with a total of 629 violations from 2011 until the end of 2023. The Democratic Union Party (PYD) ranked second with responsibility for 165 violations.

HTS occupied the third position with 153 violations, followed by the Islamic State (ISIS) with 140 and various opposition sides with 137 and Russia with 64 violations.

According to the report, the violations were varied in type in 2023, with the most outstanding being the killing of two journalists and the injury of two others. There were also 15 cases of arrest and detention and 9 cases of physical assault.

In terms of the type of violation, arrest and detention tops the list in 2023, after scoring more cases than 2022.

468 journalists killing between 2011 and 2023

With the 2023 report, the Syrian Center has documented the killing of 468 journalists in its records since mid-March 2011 until the end of the previous year.

The Syrian regime remains at the top of the list of entities responsible for journalist killings, with responsibility for the deaths of 318 journalists out of the total media casualties since 2011. ISIS ranks second, responsible for the deaths of 62 journalists. Russian forces were responsible for 24 journalist deaths, the Syrian opposition killed 10 journalists, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) was responsible for 3, and so was HTS. Turkish forces were responsible for one journalist’s death, while the perpetrators of 47 journalist deaths remain unknown.

The past three years, including 2023, have seen a significant similarity in the type and reasons for committed violations, with slight variations in the number of violations. The numbers have gradually decreased over the years compared to previous years starting from 2011, with 2013 witnessing the highest documented violations at 229.

in 2023 Aleppo witnesses the highest number of violations

In 2023, Aleppo in northwestern Syria led the regions with the highest number of violations, marking a shift from Hasakah province, which had the highest number in 2021 and 2022.

The Syrian Center for Journalistic Freedoms documented 15 violations in Aleppo out of a total of 35 violations.

Idlib came second with 6 vilations and Hasakah third with 3, while Damascus witnesses 2 violations. There was one violation in Deir Ez-Zur, Daraa, Damascus Countryside and Latakia each, while 5 violations were documented against Syrian journalists outside Syria, all of which were committed in Turkey.

The 12th Anniversary of the Syrian Journalists Association.. Practical steps to establish media freedom in the country

The Director of the Syrian Center for Journalistic Freedoms in the Syrian Journalists Association, Ibrahim Hussein, noted that despite a decrease in the number of recorded violations, there has been no positive development in media freedom. In regions under various authorities, the criteria by which the respect for journalism is measured still remain at a minimum level, and some requirements, such as organizing the right to access information, are still lacking.

Hussein emphasized the importance of addressing the security factor and fear of dominant forces, which sometimes hinders access to sufficient and accurate information about violations against the media according to the center’s standards. This is due to the fact that some victims or the families of victims refrain from contacting the concerned watchdogs, out of fear of retaliation. There are also many cases in which the victims’ families lack information because the forced disappearance, detention and arrest of journalists is carried out by unknown parties.

Mozon Morshed, President of the Syrian Journalists Association, said that the Syrian regime and other controlling powers in Syrian territories attempt to silence media voices and break journalists’ pens simply because they seek to spread the truth. This includes not only killing or arresting them but also intimidating or forcibly disappearing them , and even goes beyond to cover up for the offenders and ensure their impunity since 2011.

On its twelfth anniversary, the Syrian Journalists Association, according to Morshed, will remain the primary defender of journalists in the country and the hope for protecting human rights.

The association will uphold its independence, code of honor, documentation standards, and ethical charter to enable freedom of expression in the country and ensure the right to access information.

To view the full report click here

or read it on our website.

التقرير-السنوي-2023