The Syrian Centre for Journalistic Freedoms of the Syrian Journalists Association said it had recorded four violations against media workers in Syria in December 2018.
In a report issued on Thursday, the Center pointed out that the Assad regime topped the list of violators of journalistic freedoms, with three violations it committed in the province of Damascus. The Center noted that Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham militant group was responsible for the fourth violation in the province of Idlib.
The December violations have brought to 95 the total number of violations against media workers and professionals across Syria in 2018, the Center said, pointing to a decline in the number of violations compared to the previous years.
The report indicated that the first quarter of 2018 saw the highest number of violations against media workers in Syria. It also said that the violations recorded in December 2018 were in the form of arrests and violent raids on media centers.
According to the report, the Assad regime continued with its crackdown on press freedoms in the areas under its control, adding that the Assad regime’s security forces detained two media workers In December 2018.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) classified Syria as the world’s second dangerous country for journalists in 2018 in its annual report published in December 18, 2018.
The Center noted that at least 80 media workers were killed in 2018, while 348 others still in custody and 60 others held as hostages. These staggering figures reflected a large-scale violence against media workers in Syria. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
