Syrian authorities detained, restricted journalists covering Aleppo violence: Press monitor
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A prominent press rights monitor on Monday censured the Syrian authorities over their detention of three journalists, including a Rudaw reporter and cameraman, accusing them of a “blatant attempt” to control the narrative of the deadly violence that struck Aleppo’s Kurdish-majority quarters last week.
In a statement, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed concern after “Syrian government forces detained three journalists and imposed restrictions on independent reporting” in Aleppo’s Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood neighborhoods, following their capture of the areas from the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish).
The CPJ reported that Syrian security forces on Saturday briefly detained Rudaw’s Damascus reporter Vivyan Fetah and cameraman Aland Issa “while they were covering the clashes” in northern Aleppo, noting that the two “were accused of terrorism and of distorting the truth solely because they are Kurds.”
“After approximately an hour and a half, the journalists were released.”
The press freedom watchdog also reported that “that same day, Istanbul-based Syria TV reporter Adnan Emam, a journalist with Syrian Satellite TV - a channel operating under the authorization of Syria’s Ministry of Information - was detained by military police after filming a military convoy near the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood.”
“I was arrested at 3:00 pm despite having entry permission [to report] from the defense ministry, but there was poor coordination,” Emam told CPJ.
He was released the following day after about 12 hours in detention and said he was treated well while in custody.
CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah said, “We are deeply troubled by the recent press violations in Aleppo, which put journalists - who have already endured severe abuses under the [Bashar] al-Assad regime - at risk.”
She added that “restricting coverage to selected journalists and media outlets is a blatant attempt to control the narrative.” The Kurdish Region-based press freedom watchdog further urged Syrian authorities to “allow all journalists to report freely.”
Deadly clashes erupted on Tuesday in Aleppo’s Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood neighborhoods after the Syrian Arab Army and its affiliated armed factions launched a widescale operation to seize the areas from the Kurdish Asayish.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Sunday that at least 82 people were killed, including 43 civilians, 38 government-aligned fighters, and at least one Asayish member. An estimated 150,000 residents have fled Aleppo’s Kurdish quarters, the Erbil-based Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF) told Rudaw on Saturday.
According to CPJ, most journalists were prevented from reporting on the ground and barred from entering large parts of the affected areas by military forces.
A freelance journalist, speaking to the press rights monitor anonymously out of “fear of reprisals,” said most independent journalists and media outlets “were blocked from covering the clashes, while media outlets aligned with the government - including Qatar-based Al Jazeera and Turkey’s TRT - were allowed to report from inside the area.”
“It was a clear monopolization of fair journalistic coverage,” the journalist added.
“There may be scenes authorities do not want shown to the public, but journalism is meant to reflect reality as it is, not just polished images.”
In response to the CPJ, Omar Haj Ahmed, director general of press affairs at the Syrian information ministry, said restrictions were imposed due to safety concerns, and journalists were allowed entry only after security checks.
He further said Emam “was held briefly for routine procedures” and denied reports of Fetah’s detention as “incorrect.”
In a statement, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed concern after “Syrian government forces detained three journalists and imposed restrictions on independent reporting” in Aleppo’s Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood neighborhoods, following their capture of the areas from the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish).
The CPJ reported that Syrian security forces on Saturday briefly detained Rudaw’s Damascus reporter Vivyan Fetah and cameraman Aland Issa “while they were covering the clashes” in northern Aleppo, noting that the two “were accused of terrorism and of distorting the truth solely because they are Kurds.”
“After approximately an hour and a half, the journalists were released.”
The press freedom watchdog also reported that “that same day, Istanbul-based Syria TV reporter Adnan Emam, a journalist with Syrian Satellite TV - a channel operating under the authorization of Syria’s Ministry of Information - was detained by military police after filming a military convoy near the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood.”
“I was arrested at 3:00 pm despite having entry permission [to report] from the defense ministry, but there was poor coordination,” Emam told CPJ.
He was released the following day after about 12 hours in detention and said he was treated well while in custody.
CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah said, “We are deeply troubled by the recent press violations in Aleppo, which put journalists - who have already endured severe abuses under the [Bashar] al-Assad regime - at risk.”
She added that “restricting coverage to selected journalists and media outlets is a blatant attempt to control the narrative.” The Kurdish Region-based press freedom watchdog further urged Syrian authorities to “allow all journalists to report freely.”
Deadly clashes erupted on Tuesday in Aleppo’s Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood neighborhoods after the Syrian Arab Army and its affiliated armed factions launched a widescale operation to seize the areas from the Kurdish Asayish.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Sunday that at least 82 people were killed, including 43 civilians, 38 government-aligned fighters, and at least one Asayish member. An estimated 150,000 residents have fled Aleppo’s Kurdish quarters, the Erbil-based Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF) told Rudaw on Saturday.
According to CPJ, most journalists were prevented from reporting on the ground and barred from entering large parts of the affected areas by military forces.
A freelance journalist, speaking to the press rights monitor anonymously out of “fear of reprisals,” said most independent journalists and media outlets “were blocked from covering the clashes, while media outlets aligned with the government - including Qatar-based Al Jazeera and Turkey’s TRT - were allowed to report from inside the area.”
“It was a clear monopolization of fair journalistic coverage,” the journalist added.
“There may be scenes authorities do not want shown to the public, but journalism is meant to reflect reality as it is, not just polished images.”
In response to the CPJ, Omar Haj Ahmed, director general of press affairs at the Syrian information ministry, said restrictions were imposed due to safety concerns, and journalists were allowed entry only after security checks.
He further said Emam “was held briefly for routine procedures” and denied reports of Fetah’s detention as “incorrect.”