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Journalists flee northwest Syria as intimidation ramps up

Dozens of journalists have fled northwest Syria, some paying fortunes to reach Europe, to escape the Syrian opposition factions and Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham.
Syrian refugee journalist

IDLIB — Suhail Zubair, a pseudonym, is one of many journalists who have fled the city of al-Bab the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, fearing for his safety and that of his family. He was threatened by the Syrian opposition factions loyal to Turkey after he reported on prisons run by these groups in the cities of al-Rai and Afrin, where thousands of detainees are held.

Zubair told Al-Monitor that he has reported for several local and Arab satellite stations. But constant threats over his investigative journalism pushed him to flee with his family a year ago to Turkey. There, he paid some $60,000 to get them smuggled to Sweden.

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