Damascus (ST) –The Journalist’s Union has launched the Media Freedoms Report in Syria for the year 2023.
The Union called for the immediate and lifting of the unjust blockade and unilateral coercive measures imposed on the Syrian people, which have affected journalists in media institutions.
The Union also called for condemning the crimes of killing journalists and violating their rights by the US-backed SDF (Qasad) separatist militia and other US and Turkish- linked terrorist groups, and brining perpetrators to justice.
The report recorded 74 cases of violations committed by these armed groups that affected the freedom of the press and journalists, which included incidents of killing, detention, intimidation, assault and disruption in providing proper media services.
It indicated that the number of the media institutions, broadcast stations and television and radio centers, which were completely or partially destroyed due to crimes of terrorism, reached 36.
The Union urged international and human rights organizations, the International Union of Journalists, the Union of Arab Journalists, and bodies concerned with freedom of the press and human rights to intensify efforts to release the Syrian journalists Muhammad al-Saghir and Muhammad Rafi’i, who are detained by Qasad separatist militia.
It called on the people’s Assembly to study proposals submitted by the Union on the draft media law.
Najla Khoury