The November 2023 report from the Syrian Journalists Association underscored the persistent danger faced by journalists in Syria, emphasizing that the Assad regime remains the primary perpetrator responsible for journalist fatalities in the country. The report reveals a total of 25 violations in 2023.
According to the Syrian Center for Journalistic Freedoms, affiliated with the Syrian Journalists Association, media activist Mahmoud Al-Harbi was fatally shot by an armed group linked to the Assad regime in Maaraba, Daraa countryside, in November. This incident brought the documented deaths of media professionals in Syria since 2011 to 468.
Ibrahim Hussein, the director of the center, pointed out that the lack of accountability for attacks on journalists perpetuates the Assad regime’s impunity and encourages further crimes against journalists, stifling freedom of expression in the country.
The report notes the injury of journalist Dua al-Qash due to heavy artillery shelling by regime forces targeting al-Dana town in northern Idlib in October 2023. Additionally, journalist Bashar Najla was arrested by the Assad regime’s security services in the Latakia countryside in early November, remaining in detention as of the report’s publication.
The Syrian Journalists Association’s report concluded with a call to the international community and relevant organizations to support and defend journalists in Syria. It emphasized that holding perpetrators accountable for these crimes is crucial in preventing future attacks on media workers.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
