The Association of Syrian Journalists released a statement condemning the murder of American journalist James Foley, describing it as “a horrible and heinous crime. “We extend our condolences to the family and friends of James Foley and to all the workers in the of media field. This crime falls within a series of heinous crimes that affected journalists and media activists in Syria, and James Foley is added to 246 journalists and media activists who lost their lives since the start of the Syrian revolution. The majority of them were killed by forces of the Assad regime, whether directly targeted or during the battles or under torture, while on the other side the Islamic State (IS) is responsible for the abduction cases that many of them ended by the execution of the captives.” Furthermore, The Association of Syrian Journalists stresses that IS’s militants have been systematically targeting journalists and media activists since it gained a foothold in Syria, raiding media offices, kidnapping dozens of those working in the media field, especially in the north of Syria, and executed a large number of them, while forcing dozens of others to flee Syria. IS’s actions provided a great service to the Assad regime through discouraging foreign journalists not from coming to cover the war in the liberated areas.” (Source: Association of Syrian Journalists)
