HTS detained the American journalist Bilal Abdul Karim in the northern countryside of Idlib, without explaining the reasons. He is still detained until the date of publication of this report.
September 21, 2020
Source: The Syrian Center for Journalistic Freedom in the Syrian
The increase of violations against the media in Syria in August was accompanied by new changes in their types. For the first time this year, SCJF documents three violations against media outlets, which constitute a new escalation in the tightening of the screws on media freedoms in Syria.
Perhaps the most prominent explanation for this rise and diversity in violations is the continuation of the various conflicting parties on the Syrian soil, to pressure and restrict media freedoms, which were also among the main causes of the violations documented during the past months of this year, especially with the decrease in the pace of battles and bombing.
The Syrian Center for Journalistic Freedom (SCJF) in the Syrian Journalists Association (SJA) documented eleven violations against the media in August, similar to what was documented in June and February, and a significant decrease from what the center documented in the rest of this year.
HTS was at the forefront of the violators last August. It was responsible for committing 4 violations. The Democratic Union Party’s Autonomous Administration was responsible for committing 3 violations, and the Syrian regime was responsible for two violations, and the Syrian armed opposition committed one violation, while those responsible for the last violation have not been identified.
Last month, SCJF documented the killing of a journalist and the arrest and detention of 6 other media professionals. An unknown armed group assassinated the journalist Rami Al-Khatib in Daraa, without further details about the causes and motives. This brings the number of media professionals killed since mid-March 2011 to 458.
HTS detained the American journalist Bilal Abdul Karim in the northern countryside of Idlib, without explaining the reasons. He is still detained until the date of publication of this report.
The Autonomous Administration forces of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) detained the media professionals Rankin Sheru, Fahd Sabri, and Anas Abu Zaid, for two hours, under the pretext of filming without permission in the city of Qamishli, northeastern Syria.
Moreover, the authorities of the Syrian regime arrested the journalist Reda Al-Basha in Aleppo without explaining the reasons until they released him after two days. It also arrested Walid Jadu al-Rifai, known as Abu al-Nour, in the eastern countryside of Daraa. His fate remains unknown until the date of publication of this report.
In the same context, the Military Court of the Syrian opposition in the city of Afrin in the northern countryside of Aleppo issued a decision by which it sentenced Mahmoud Muhammad Khair Fawaz, known as Mahmoud al-Dimashqi, to imprisonment for criticizing the Syrian National Army on social media.
3violations against media outlets
The Media Relations Office of the Salvation Government of the HTS issued a decision prohibiting media professional from dealing with Al-Aan TV, Step News Agency, and Al-Youm TV in its territory in Idlib without clarifying the decision.
The fate of Austin Tice revealed
The case of American journalist Austin Tice was raised again, after new statements last month by the Tice family. They confirmed that their son, who was kidnapped in Syria eight years ago, is still alive and detained in the prisons of the Syrian regime.
Geographically, the violations were spread over various Syrian regions. Idlib witnessed 4 violations and 3 violations in Al-Hasakah. Each Aleppo and Daraa witnessed two violations committed.
