Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called for Bashar al-Assad to be brought to justice for the killing of 181 journalists since the Syrian uprising began in 2011. The organisation also voiced concern over the fate of imprisoned journalists in the country.
In a statement, the NGO revealed that following the overthrow of Assad’s regime on Sunday, two journalists were released. RSF identified them as Hanin Gibran, detained since June 2024, and blogger Tal al-Maluhi, imprisoned since 2009 for her work prior to the uprising.
According to RSF, 181 journalists have been killed by the Syrian regime and its allies—161 by regime forces and 17 in Russian airstrikes. These killings “must not go unpunished,” the organisation emphasised.
Syria: One of the worst countries for media workers
Jonathan Dagher, RSF’s head of the Middle East bureau, stated that with more than 180 journalists killed or executed since 2011 and numerous cases of imprisonment and torture, Assad and his allies have made Syria one of the worst countries for media professionals, as highlighted in RSF’s 2024 Press Freedom Index.
Dagher called for Assad to be held accountable for his crimes to deliver delayed justice to all victims.
Killings and repression in rebel-controlled areas
RSF also condemned the suppression of journalists in territories controlled by opposition groups. The extremist Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has been accused of killing six journalists between 2012 and 2019. The NGO called for the perpetrators of these crimes to face justice and urged HTS to release all detained journalists.
Ongoing clashes and missing persons
Meanwhile, hostilities between Turkey-backed forces and Kurdish armed groups have resulted in at least 218 deaths over three days in northern Syria, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The clashes occurred in and around Manbij, with Turkey-backed forces reportedly launching an offensive and advancing into the area. Fighting is ongoing near Raqqa.
Opposition forces, now in power in Syria, announced on Tuesday night that they had taken full control of Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria, as confirmed by Commander Hassan Abdul Ghani.
Families of the missing have been urged not to exhume remains on their own, as this could hinder identification efforts, the Red Cross warned. The issue of missing persons is “central both now and in the future,” said Christian Cardon, a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Proper handling of remains can help create a more peaceful environment conducive to peace talks and reconciliation, Cardon explained. Over 100,000 people are believed to have disappeared during the conflict, mostly while in the custody of Assad’s forces, according to NGOs.
Images shared on social media showed dozens of men, some frail and carried by others, being freed from Sednaya prison on Sunday. Amnesty International has labelled the prison a “human slaughterhouse.”
Cardon stressed the need for respect for burial sites and other locations where victims might have been interred.
Also read: Assad, the iron-fisted leader whose family ruled Syria for 50 years
Source: ANA-MPA
