Syria's journalists live in constant fear of arrest, assassination
Syria remains one of the world's most dangerous places for journalists, who face repression and violence from the Syrian regime as well as opposition forces.
IDLIB, Syria — Masked gunmen shot photojournalist Hussein Khattab in broad daylight Dec. 12, in Syria’s northern city of al-Bab, which is controlled by the Turkish-backed opposition.
Though dozens of opposition factions are present in the area, no one was able to stop or identify the perpetrators. Khattab was shot five times while filming a report on the spread of COVID-19 in northern Syria.
Following Khattab’s assassination, Syrian journalists and activists turned to social media, calling for the protection of journalists, especially in the areas controlled by the Turkish-backed factions. Dozens of Syrian journalists inside Syria joined in, posting the Arabic hashtag #Martyr_Hussein_Khattab.
Days later, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controls most of the northwestern province of Idlib, arrested journalist Abdul Fattah al-Hussein at a checkpoint on Dec. 22, then released him on Dec. 30. After his release, HTS said that Hussein was arrested because his name had been mentioned in a security case, giving no more detail.
