The Syrian Coalition condemned the heinous crime of assassinating media activist and Raed Al-Faris and his colleague photographer Hammoud Junaid, stressing that the crime shook the conscience of every free Syrian.
Al-Faris and Junaid were shot dead in their hometown of Kafranbil in rural Idlib by masked gunmen while they were on their way to cover the Friday demonstrations in the town.
In a press release issued on Friday, the Coalition said: “This reprehensible crime took place in a town that has been at the heart of the Syrian revolution and one that represents a lot in the conscience of the Syrian people as an icon of the Syrian revolution.”
“The town has been well known for its distinguished civil, peaceful activities, most notably the placards and cartoons that have expressed the aspirations of the Syrian people over the past eight years,” the Coalition added.
“The alliance of tyranny and terrorism, up to which the slain activists firmly stood, is the prime suspect for this crime. Al-Faris was previously kidnapped and was the target of an attempted assassination in response to his opposition to the transnational terrorist groups which have been seeking to derail the Syrian revolution away from its goals of dignity and freedom.”
The Coalition went on to say that “just like the Assad regime, those groups have showed downright hostility to the Syrian people, their rights, and the peaceful civil movement since it began in 2011.”
The Coalition stressed it would make every possible effort in cooperation with the Syrian Interim Government and its executive branches to go after the perpetrators of this crime and bring them to justice.
“This outrageous act will have an everlasting impact on the conscience of every free Syrian who will be saddened by this tremendous loss. While it will be difficult to fill the void resulting from the loss of those two fallen heroes, we are entirely confident of the Syrian people and their ability to carry on the path of freedom; carry the torch of the revolution; and remain true to the principles and values of the revolution.”
US and British officials have also mourned the loss of the anti-Assad activists. The US State Department said in a statement that Raed and Hammoud never hesitated to tell the truth and stayed true to the original values of the revolution.” The British envoy to Syria, Martin Longden, called their killing a “loss to Syria and its future,” adding that Raed was “the conscience of the revolution.”
The slain activists were among the most prominent activists of the revolutionary, civil movement in Idlib province. Raed, who survived previous assassination attempts, founded Radio Fresh and the Union of Revolution Offices in his hometown of Kafranbel. His colleague Junaid, a media activist and one of Radio Fresh staff, was one of the first journalists who worked to document the violations of the Assad regime. (Source: Syrian Coalitions’ Media Department)
