The Syrian Journalists Association has released its report on media violations in Syria for the first quarter of 2024, covering the period from January 1, 2024, to March 31, 2024.
The Syrian Center for Journalistic Freedoms in the association, documented 8 violations committed against the media in Syria, most of which occurred in March, with 6 violations documented. February and January each witnessed one separate violation. Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) topped the list of violators, responsible for 5 violations, while the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD) forces were responsible for 2 violations, and the Syrian regime was responsible for one.
The documented violations were geographically distributed across several Syrian regions during the reporting period. Idlib governorate witnessed 4 violations, while the governorates of Hasakah, Raqqa, Tartus, and Aleppo each witnessed one violation.
In detail, the center documented an assault by elements of the Ahrar Awlan faction, affiliated with HTS, on journalist Jalal al-Tallawi in the city of al-Bab in the countryside of Aleppo governorate, due to his media and civilian activities in the area.
Similarly, elements from the organizing committee’s office for protests in Idlib, affiliated with HTS, assaulted journalists Saeed Saeed and Ali Al-Eissa, and another member of the same office assaulted journalist Alaa al-Din Youssef, while they were covering a demonstration in the city.
Furthermore, elements from the Asayish General Security Forces, affiliated with the PYD, in Raqqa, assaulted journalist Marwa Nasif and confiscated her journalistic equipment while she was covering a demonstration by activists in the city.
Furthermore, elements from the Asayish General Security Forces, affiliated with the PYD, in Raqqa, assaulted journalist Marwa Nasif and confiscated her journalistic equipment while she was covering a demonstration by activists in the city.
Furthermore, a group of armed individuals affiliated with the PYD detained journalist Rakan Ahmed after raiding his home in the town of Ma’bada (Karki Laki) in the countryside of Hasakah province and took him to an unknown location. He remains in detention as of the report’s publication date.
In Tartus, the Syrian regime’s security forces arrested journalist Mahmoud Ibrahim on charges related to his journalistic work and support for freedom of opinion and expression in Syria. He remains in detention as of the report’s publication date.
In the context of the periodic follow-up by the Syrian Center for Journalistic Freedoms on the state of media freedoms in Syria and the continuous tightening against journalists, the center observed, during the past months of the current year, two cases of physical assault on journalists in the town of Kelli in the countryside of Idlib, by a group of civilian individuals, during their journalistic coverage. However, the center did not record them in its records because the incident constitutes a criminal offense committed by civilians who do not have an authoritative status. Thus, the violation falls outside the center’s standards and methodology, which it follows in documenting media violations in Syria.
American Journalist Kevin Dawse Wins US$50 Million Compensation Ruling Against the Syrian Regime
On the other hand, the center noted the victory of an American law firm in a compensation ruling of U$50 million against the Syrian regime, on behalf of American journalist Kevin Dawse, who was a photographer detained and tortured by the Syrian regime for about four years. The U.S. Criminal Court affirmed in its ruling that “Dawse” was held in a windowless cell and subjected to severe and repeated torture by the Syrian regime’s security agencies, leading to multiple injuries all over his body, in addition to suffering a concussion and permanent nerve damage.
Release of Two Journalists in Idlib and Turkey
During the first quarter of the current year, the security apparatus of HTS released on January 31, 2024, activist journalist Ali Allou, after being detained for about 8 months in its prisons in Idlib city.
Likewise, Turkish authorities released Syrian journalist Rizk Al-Abi on March 7, 2024, after more than ten months of detention in Turkey, on charges related to his journalistic work.
Violations against the Media in Syria: A Deliberate Strategy by the Controlling Forces on the Ground
Commenting on the report, Ibrahim Hussein, director of the Syrian Center for Journalistic Freedoms, stated that despite the decrease in the number of violations against the media in Syria, Syrian journalists still pay a heavy price for simply carrying out their work and shedding light on what is happening in Syria.
Hussein added that despite the often-clear identification of journalists wearing vests and helmets marked “Press”, they continue to be targeted for attacks and violations. This confirms that the ongoing killings, injuries, and arrests are “a deliberate strategy by the influential forces in Syria to obstruct media outlets and silence critical voices of journalists.”
The victory of an American law firm in a US$50 million compensation ruling against the Syrian regime, on behalf of American journalist Kevin Dawse, clearly indicates a glimmer of hope for ending impunity for crimes committed against journalists in Syria and the necessity of finding effective mechanisms to hold the Syrian regime accountable, which tops the list of violators of media freedoms in the country.
In conclusion, the Syrian Journalists Association called on the international community and active organizations not to abandon their responsibilities in protecting journalists in Syria, as the right to information is “a right to life” upon which the lives of civilians themselves depend. Journalists play a crucial role as a vital source of information and as defenders of human rights, monitoring violations and abuses of international humanitarian law and human rights. Therefore, journalists have the right to protection as civilians under international humanitarian law, warning that “targeted attacks on journalists are war crimes,” and those responsible for them must be held accountable in the near future.
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تقرير-الربع-الأول-لعام-2024
