The meeting was attended by members of the SJU board and members of its press freedom committee, alongside IFJ representatives, who joined remotely. Discussions focussed on the 2023 press freedom report and addressed pressing challenges facing the Syrian journalistic community, such as daily threats, deteriorating working conditions that drive media workers away from the profession and the increasing criminalisation of journalistic work.
In March, the SJU released its annual press freedom report in cooperation with the IFJ, which documented 68 violations of media and journalists’ rights in 2022, including attacks, detentions, legal prosecution of journalists and harassment targeted, in particular, at women journalists. Among the violations documented, the publication underlines the case of Syrian journalist Mohammed Al Sagheer, who has been held in prison since June 2019. He was arrested in June by the Syrian Democratic Forces, which are in control of north eastern Syria. The IFJ, together with the SJU, has launched a campaign calling for Al Sagheer to be released.
Surveying journalists and citizens
The comprehensive report features a pioneering survey on freedom of expression that sheds light on restrictions of press freedom and details censorship experienced by journalists in the country. More than 550 journalists from Damascus, Hama, Latakia, Tartous, Homs, Suwayda and Aleppo were polled by the SJU. Some of its key findings are as follows:
- 62% of respondents admit that they have experienced publishing bans by their superiors.
- 23% of respondents say they cannot write freely and 51% stated they can only do so sometimes.
- The primary sources of censorship indicated by respondents are vague editorial guidelines and lack of knowledge about national laws and self-censorship.
The union conducted a second survey to explore news consumption habits and perceptions of local media by the public. Around 550 Syrian citizens from the aforementioned cities responded to the questions. The results included:
- Only 27% of respondents consider that local news covers problems that are relevant to them.
- Only 30% of respondents think that the media can contribute to solving problems.
- 45% of respondents access the news through digital platforms, 23% through TV and 26% through other platforms.
The last section of the report is dedicated to the safety of journalists and a number of recommendations are listed, such as the need for relevant safety training sessions and better protective equipment for journalists reporting on the ground.
Download the SJU’s press freedom report in Arabic here.
IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger said: “We welcome the exhaustive work that the SJU has carried out, documenting the violations of media and journalists’ rights in Syria. It is imperative that the perpetrators of all attacks against journalists are held to account. We will continue to stand by journalists and media workers in the face of attacks, threats and intimidation and to defend press freedom and the people’s right to know.”