The Syrian Center for Press Freedoms of the Association of Syrian Journalists said that it had recorded 14 violations against journalists and media workers in Syria in March.
The Center said that the month of March witnessed a marked increase in the number of attacks on journalists and media activists compared to January and February. It said that it had recorded 10 violations in January and 11 more in February.
The Center said that attacks and violations against journalists and media activists in Syria continued despite the issuance of UN Security Council Resolution 2401 on February 24 demanding at least 30-day ceasefire in Syria.
Four journalists were killed in Russian airstrikes and Assad regimes artillery shelling on eastern Ghouta in March, the Center said. Journalists Bashar al-Attar, Ahmed Hamdan, and Obaida Abu Omar were killed in Russian airstrikes while media activist Suhaib Abu Oyoun was killed in artillery shelling on the besieged town of Douma.
The Center said that it had documented the death of eight journalists over the past two months as a result of the violent bombing campaigns, especially in eastern Ghouta by the Assad regime and its Russian ally. It also said there were restrictions on the media freedoms by various parties to the conflict, especially in northern Syria.
The Center said that two journalists were injured, five were detained, and one was physically assaulted. Other violations also included the issuance of threats as well as the destruction and looting of equipment.
Media activist Ghayath Abu Qusai was injured in Russian airstrikes on the town of Ayn Tarma in eastern Ghouta, while other media activist was injured in an explosion of a landmine which was planted by the PYD militia in the Afrin area.
The Center recorded six violations in eastern Ghouta, five in Afrin, and one in each of the provinces of Dara’a, Idlib, and Hama.
The latest figures has brought to 430 the number of journalists and media activists who have been killed in Syria since mid-March 2011. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
