During the year 2025, Syria witnessed fundamental political transformation following the fall of the Baath Party regime at the end of 2024, which brought the country into a new transitional phase with complex political, intellectual and security dimensions. The repercussions of this transformation have been directly and continuously reflected in the conditions of human rights and freedom of expression throughout the Syrian territories, from the north to the south and from east to west, without exception.
Following the collapse of the previous regime, a transitional government based in Damascus took over the administration of the countries affairs headed by Ahmed
Al-Sharaa the former leader of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham. However the performance of the transitional government in managing the stage including the policies followed and practices issued by its affiliated entities lead to registration of widespread violations targeting various segments of Syrian society, especially journalists, female and male workers in media field, who are supposed to enjoy protection especially under International Human Rights laws.
During the twelve-month period, this report documented dozens of serious violations for male and female journalists, activists and media staff in various Syrian regions and the parties responsible for these violations varied between agencies and authorities affiliated with the government transitional forces, the Turkish occupation that continues actually taking control on a number of cities and towns in Northern Syria in addition to the armed factions and mercenaries associated with them, which constitutes a clear violation to the legal obligations of these parties under The International Humanitarian Law and the International Human Rights Law.
This report comes based on any systematic efforts made by the Rights Council in the Free Media Association in the North and East of Syria which worked, within the available capabilities, to highlight and document its violations committed against female and male journalists in all Syrian regions and towns. The committee depended on the standards of authentic and disputed international documentation in preparing this report including the combination of direct statements, verification of sources and analysis of the facts within legal frameworks that allow describing violations and assigning responsibilities.
This report aims to present an accurate and reliable picture of the reality of journalistic freedom in Syria during 2025 and highlighting the patterns of violations committed, and identifying the parties responsible for them including their participation in supporting the paths of accountability and accounting and, it constitutes a reference document that can be relied upon by the international authorities concerned with human rights, legal organizations and the competent judicial authorities in an effort to ensure no impunity and to protect female and male journalists and promoting freedom of expression as a fundamental right that is not subject to arbitrary restriction.
Journalists killed and injured as a result of direct targeting
The violations committed against journalists during the year 2025 were not limited to arbitrary arrest or restrictions on the freedom of media work, but rather included direct and systematic targeting that led to the killing of at least nine journalists and the injury of more than fifteen others while carrying out their journalistic work or in circumstances likely related to their media activity.
Documented Facts
1 – On January 22nd 2025, a photojournalist Ibrahim Ajaj, working for the official Syrian news agency ( SANA ), was killed after being shouted by a gunshot fired by unknown gunmen in the city of Hama. No official body has announced the results of the investigation until the date of preparing this report.
2 – On February 15th 2025, the journalist Akid Roj ( Shervan Sido ) lost his life while covering the Turkish occupation’s bombing of Tishreen Dam. He was working for Ronahi TV.
3 – On May 4th 2025, the journalist and broadcaster Muhammad Ismail was killed in front of his house in the western countryside of Homs by an unknown party.
4 – On May 24th 2025, the body of the journalist and designer Muhammad Khaiti was found murdered in a deserted area near the town of Jairud in Northern Qalamoun in Damascus countryside after he disappeared on May 8th 2025. He was 36 years old and was a well known figure in the local media. Till the date of preparing this report, the competent authorities have not announced the identities of the perpetrators or the motives for the crime.
4 – On June 24th 2025, the bodies of the photographer journalist Muhammad Akram Al-Ali and his father were found in Homs governorate, more than three months after their disappearance since February 6th 2025, without any official clarifications being issued regarding the circumstances of the accident.
5 – On July 25th 202q5 the bodies of the journalist Hassan Al- Zoubi, Daraa Governorate Media director, and journalist Mahmoud Ahmed Al-Hesso were found, while their third colleague was seriously injured. This happened after they were exposed to an armed ambush after receiving an official invitation from sheikh Aakel of the Druze Unitarian sect, Sheikh Yusuf al-Jarbou. Documented information indicates that the killing incident dates back to July 16th 2025.
6 – On August 3rd 2025, the body of media activist Kidni A-Adai was found hanged inside his apartment in the Al-Joura neighborhood in the city of Deir ez-Zor, about a month after his return from Germany, and the nature of his death has not been officially determined yet.
7 – On July 14th, 2025, the photojournalist Sari Majeed Al-Shoufi, who was working for the Suwayda 24 network was killed while covering the current events in the village of Taara, west of Suwayda, while he was at an advanced checkpoint for local factions and civil groups.
Injuries resulting from targeting
. January 8th 2025, the journalist Awaz Ali was injured by a Turkish drone bombing a civilian convoy heading to Tishreen Dam.
. January 8th 2025, the journalist Joanna Jumaa was injured by shrapnel of a Turkish drone on Tishreen Dam which required her to undergo treatment for several months.
. January 18th 2025, a KNN correspondent was injured in a Turkish bombing that targeted a civilian convoy in the Tishreen Dam.
. January 22nd 2025, the journalist Laila Abdi, a Ronahi satellite reporter, was injured while doing her confidential work covering the attack on the Tishreen Dam.
. January 22nd 2025, the journalist Chakdar Haj Mehmoud, a reporter for Sterk TV, while performing his journalistic duty, covering the attack on the Tishreen Dam.
. January 22nd 2025, the journalist Muhammad Badly , a Ronahi satellite reporter, was injured while performing his journalistic duty, covering the attack on the Tishreen Dam.
. January 22nd 2025, the journalist Hyevda Hebon was injured in a Turkish bombing on the Tishreen Dam.
. January 22nd 2025, the journalist Delovan was injured by a drone on Tishreen Dam.
. January 22nd 2025, the journalist Dejwar Ali Shier was injured by a Turkish drone on Tishreen Dam.
. July 10th 2025,the journalist Riyad Al-Hussein was beaten by the security members in the court of Al-Mayadeen in Deir ez-Zor, which led to sustaining bruises. He was working for the government media .
. July 15th 2025,the journalist Nadim Al-Nabulsi, “Ahrar Houran ” correspondent, was injured while covering field events. He was injured by shrapnel following a raid launched by an Israeli drone at the entrance to the city of Suwayda.
. July 18th 2025,the activist Zeina Shahla was attacked by an armed group in Damascus after participating in a protest against the attacks on Suwayda. The association contacted her and documented the violation.
. July 19th 2025, journalists were directly targeted in the city of Suwayda with live bullets while covering the current events. Among the journalists were the photojournalist: Ali Haj Suleiman, the photographer, Baker Al-Qasim, the reporter, Hamza Abbas and the photographer, Qusay Abdel-Bari. They were all inside a parking car at the coverage site, preparing to start filming when their vehicle was targeted with gunfire by armed groups whose affiliation was unknown. The attack didn’t result in any human casualties and all the journalists work for governmental or semi-governmental channel.
. October 5th 2025, the Syrian journalist Batoul Ali and her father Samir Ali were exposed to gunfire from unidentified assailants who stormed their house on the Northern Highway Road in the Danaser Kho area in Lattakia. Batoul had worked for the official Syrian media before the fall of the regime, and she also worked for the Ugarit TV channel.
. October 10th 2025, Press correspondent wissam Al Awad from ” Aleppo Today ” channel, said that he was beaten by member of the government forces in the city of Menbij while he was heading to cover a social event.
Arrests of journalists in 2025
The Free Media Association documented 11 arrest states of male and female journalists during 2025. The majority of them were recorded by the transitional government in Damascus and these arrests are coming in the context of continued restrictions on the freedom of the press and the freedom of expression which reflects major challenges facing it.
The following is a detailed review of all the cases which are documented during the year:
. March 21st 2025, a reporter and delegate from Ronahi channel to the Syrian coast Ziywer Shikho was arrested by the General Security. His mobile phone was confiscated.
. May 5th 2025, the journalist Akram Saleh and the photographer Judi Haj Ali were arrested during their covering of Ashrafiet Sahnaya events in Damascus countryside by the General Security, then, later
they were released.
. June 14th 2025, the two journalists Nader Debo and Abdullah Al-Hassan ( Nour Jolan ), who work for several media organizations, including the ” zeman Al-Wasl ” platform, were arrested by Israel forces in the Quneitra countryside before they were later released.
. June 26th 2025, the forces of the General Security of the transitional government in Damascus, arrested the journalist Hassen Zaza, one of the members of the General Council of the Free Media Association. He was released after a week.
. July 1st 2025, the journalist Abdullah Al-Hassan was arrested in the Quneitra countryside by the General Security of the transitional government for his accompanying a foreign journalist.
. July 26th 2025, the General Security of Damascus arrested the journalist Nour Suleiman , the activist in the Democratic Syrian Union.
. August 27th 2025, the armed factions of northern Syria arrested the journalist Baker Al-Qasim and his wife, after covering the Industrial Exhibition activities. Then his wife was freed but Baker Al-Qasim was , according to his wife’s speech, was handed over to the Turkish intelligence. Baker is a photographer working for the French News Agency in addition to his work with other institutes such as The Turkish Anadoul Agency in Idleb.
. September 9th 2025, the journalist Amer Metter , who is a human rights activist and the founding director of the Syrian Prison Museum, was arrested by the General Security of the transitional government Of Syria , in Damascus while crossing El-Jadida border crossing.
. December 14th2025, the General Security of the transitional government in Damascus, arrested the journalist Iyad Sherbechi against the backdrop subjected to a lawsuit filed him by a Lawyer on charges of inciting sectarian and ethnic strife among the Syrian components, and he was released after hours of arrest.
. December 23rd 2025, the General Security of the transitional government arrested the American Islamic journalist Bilal Abdul Karim in the city of Al-Bab in the northern countryside of Aleppo.
Limited Violations against Journalists in the regions of northern and eastern Syria
The Autonomous Administration regions of northern and eastern Syria are more free for male and female journalists to practice media work, which is evident in the large number of media institutions operating in this region, the number of which exceeds one hundred institutions.
Despite this relative environment of freedom, the Free Media association monitored some limited abuses and violations against male and female journalists, and they were dealt with quickly after communicating with the relevant authorities. One of the most prominent of these cases is the arrest of journalist Raman Hesso, a program producer on Kurdistan Channel 24, at the beginning of July 2025, a day after his return to the city of Amouda, coming from the Kurdistan region. He was released a day after his arrest.
Some journalists also faced problems with some media institutions, but the Free Media Association intervened to address them and the majority of them were resolved by mutual consent.
Systematic Incitement Campaigns
During the year 2025, Syria witnessed several cases of public incitement and the dissemination of hate speech by a group of male and female journalists, some of whom appeared publicly through the media of the transitional government, causing a state of panic and intimidation among other male and female journalists because they are sometimes accused of treason and threatened at other times.
The association has documented these cases for review and informing everyone of them, including the most prominent ones:
. October 6th 2025 : The Free Media Association monitored a number of media activists and journalists carrying weapons and inciting against the residents of the Ashrafieh and sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo, following the military developments witnessed around the two neighborhoods. The media activist Ahmed Hemoush appeared in a video clip carrying a weapon on his waist during the outbreak of clashes. The media and social networking sites reported on the incident indicating that he had violated the ethics of journalistic work which requires staying away from any form of incitement or intimidation.
. October 6th 2025 : The activist Osama Aliwi published a video clip on his official accounts containing incitement and statements directed against the residents of the Ashrafieh and sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo. These actions are clear violation of press and media ethics and contributes to inciting tension and stirring up hatred in light of the sensitive conditions that the city of Aleppo is going through.
. February 19th 2025 :The so-called Jameel Al-Hassen, a journalist activist affiliated with the transitional Authorities in Syria, launched an incitement campaign full of racism against the Alawite component in Syria. This was followed in the months of June and November of the same year by several incitement campaigns against the Syrian Democratic Forces ( SDF) and the Syrian components in general, which is inconsistent with the lowest foundations of professional and ethical journalism.
. November 5th 2025 : Personal accounts circulated reports in a harmonious way including direct incitement against the journalist Lewend Hussein following his appearance in a program on the Syrian News Channel which expanded later to include the reporters Naz Al-Seid and Ivan Hessieb by means of publishing untruthful claims pushing their names in demonstrations supposed to be against the Syrian Democratic Forces , and raising signs trying to bind the male and female journalists with military assortments in an attempt to mislead the General View, the thing that formed a risky threat to their lives.
. The violations committed the so-called Ahmed Kasar Al-Eisa during the attack on Al-Suwyda city in June 2025 where he incited for hatred and attacking the locals, in addition to the previous statements that were offensive to the Kurdish People and other Syrian components. These violations were documented in preparationfor a lawsuit against him.
A Violation Table Committed to the Journalists in Syria
The Arrests
| The Case description | The Violate | Place of Arrest | Date | Name |
| A reporter and delegate from Ronahi channel to the Syrian coast was arrested and His mobile phone was confined | The general security affiliated to the transitional government | Syrian Coast | 21/ 3/ 2025 | Ziywer Shikho |
| The journalist Akram Saleh and the photographer Judi Haj Ali were arrested during their covering of Ashrafiet Sahnaya events in Damascus countryside by the General Security, then, later they were released.
|
The general security affiliated to the transitional government | Damascus | 5/5/2025 | Akram Saleh and the photographer Judi Haj Ali |
| The forces of the General Security of the transitional government in Damascus, arrested the journalist Hassen Zaza, He was released after a week.
|
The general security affiliated to the transitional government | Damascus | 6/6/2025 | Hassen Zaza |
| The General Security of Damascus arrested the journalist Nour Suleiman , the activist in the Democratic Syrian Union. | The general security affiliated to the transitional government | Damascus | 26/7/2025 | Nour Suleiman |
| The Israel forces arrested the journalist Nader Debo. He was released later. | Israel army |
Quneitra countryside
|
14/6/2025 | Nader Debo |
| The Israel forces arrested the journalist Nader Debo. He was released later. | Israel army |
Quneitra countryside
|
14/6/2025 | Abdullah Al-Hassan |
| the General Security of the transitional government in Quneitra arrested the journalist Abdullah Al-Hassan for his accompanying a foreign journalist.
|
the General Security of the transitional government | Quneitra | 1/7/2025 | Abdullah Al-Hassan |
| the journalist Amer Metter , who is a human rights activist and the founding director of the Syrian Prison Museum, was arrested by the General Security of the transitional government Of Syria , in Damascus while crossing El-Jadida border crossing.
|
the General Security of the transitional government | Damascus | 9/9/2025 | Amer Metter |
| the General Security of the transitional government in Damascus, arrested the journalist Iyad Sherbechi against the backdrop subjected to a lawsuit filed him by a Lawyer on charges of inciting sectarian and ethnic strife among the Syrian components, and he was released after hours of arrest.
|
the General Security of the transitional government | Damascus | 14/12/2025 | Iyad Sherbechi |
| the General Security of the transitional government arrested the American Islamic journalist Bilal Abdul Karim in the city of Al-Bab in the northern countryside of Aleppo.
|
the General Security of the transitional government | The northern countryside of Aleppo | 23/12/2025 | Bilal Abdul Karim |
The Killed
| The Case description | The Violate | Place of Arrest | Date | Name |
| The photojournalist Ibrahim Ajaj, working for the official Syrian news agency ( SANA ), was killed after being shouted by a gunshot fired by unknown gunmen in the city of Hama. | Unknown | Hama | 22/1/ 2025 | Ibrahim Ajaj |
| the journalist Akid Roj lost his life while covering the Turkish occupation’s bombing of Tishreen Dam.
|
Turkish Army | Kobani countryside – Tishreen Dam. | 15/2/2025 | Akid Roj |
| the journalist and broadcaster Muhammad Ismail was killed in front of his house in the western countryside of Homs by an unknown party. | Unknown | Homs countryside | 4/5/2025 | Muhammad Ismail |
| the bodies of the photographer journalist Muhammad Akram Al-Ali and his father were found in Homs governorate, more than three months after their disappearance since February 6th 2025. | Unknown | Homs | 24/6/2025 | Muhammad Akram Al-Ali |
| the body of media activist Kendi Al-Adai was found hanged inside his apartment in the Al-Joura neighborhood in the city of Deir ez-Zor, after his return from Germany. | Unknown | Deir ez-Zor | 3/8/2025 | Kendi Al-Adai |
| The body of the journalist Hassan Al- Zoubi, was found after he was exposed to an armed ambush after receiving an official invitation from sheikh Aakel of the Druze Unitarian sect, Sheikh Yusuf al-Jarbou. | Unknown |
Suwayda
|
16/7/2025 | Hassan Al- Zoubi |
| The body of the journalist Mahmoud Ahmed Al-Hesso, was found after he was exposed to an armed ambush after receiving an official invitation from sheikh Aakel of the Druze Unitarian sect, Sheikh Yusuf al-Jarbou. | Unknown | Suwayda
|
16/7/2025 | Mahmoud Ahmed Al-Hesso |
| the body of the journalist and designer Muhammad Khaiti was found murdered in a deserted area near the town of Jairud in Northern Qalamoun in Damascus countryside after 18 days of his disappearance . He was 36 years old. | Unknown | Al- Qalamoun | 24/5/2025 | Muhammad Khaiti |
| the photojournalist Sari Majeed Al-Shoufi, was killed while covering current events in the village of Taara, west of Suwayda, | Unknown | Suwayda | 14/7/2025 | Sari Majeed Al-Shoufi |
The Injuries
| The Case description | The Violate | Place of Arrest | Date | Name |
| Awaz Ali was injured by a Turkish drone bombing a civilian convoy heading to Tishreen Dam. | The Turkish Army | Kobani countryside –
Tishreen Dam. |
8/1/2025 | Awaz Ali |
| She was injured by shrapnel of a Turkish drone on Tishreen Dam which required her to undergo treatment for several months. | The Turkish Army | Kobani countryside –
Tishreen Dam. |
16/1/2025 | Joanna Jumaa |
| A KNN correspondent was injured in a Turkish bombing that targeted a civilian convoy in the Tishreen Dam. | The Turkish Army | Kobani countryside –
Tishreen Dam |
18/1/2025 | Muhened Sakher |
| A Ronahi satellite reporter, was injured while doing her confidential work covering the attack on the Tishreen Dam. | The Turkish Army | Kobani countryside –
Tishreen Dam |
22/1/2025 | Laila Abdi |
| The reporter for Sterk TV, while performing his journalistic duty, covering the attack on the Tishreen Dam. | The Turkish Army | Kobani countryside –
Tishreen Dam |
22/1/2025 | Chakdar Haj Mehmoud |
| He was injured while covering the attack on the Tishreen Dam. | The Turkish Army | Kobani countryside –
Tishreen Dam |
22/1/2025 | Muhammad Badly |
| She was injured while covering the attack on the Tishreen Dam. | The Turkish Army | Kobani countryside –
Tishreen Dam |
22/1/2025 | Hyevda Hebon |
| She was injured while covering the attack on the Tishreen Dam. | The Turkish Army | Kobani countryside –
Tishreen Dam |
22/1/2025 | Delovan |
| He was injured while covering the attack on the Tishreen Dam. | The Turkish Army | Kobani countryside –
Tishreen Dam |
22/1/2025 | Dejwar Ali Shier |
| the journalist Nadim Al-Nabulsi, was injured while covering field events. He was injured by shrapnel following a raid launched by an Israeli drone at the entrance to the city of Suwayda. . | Israeli drone | Suwayda | 15/7/2025 | Nadim Al-Nabulsi |
| He was beaten by the security members of the transitional government which led to sustaining bruises. He was working for the government media . | the General Security of the transitional government | Al-Mayadeen Deir ez-Zor | 10/7/2025 | Riyad Al-Hussein |
| Press correspondent Wissam Al Awad from ” Aleppo Today ” channel, was injured by members of the government forces while heading to cover a social event.
|
the General Security of the transitional government | Menbij | 10/10/2025 | Wissam Al Awad |
| She and her father Samir Ali were exposed to gunfire from unknown assailants who stormed their house . | Unknown | Lattakia. | 5/10/2025 | Batoul Ali |
| She was attacked by an armed group in Damascus after participating in a protest against the attacks on Suwayda. | an armed group | Damascus | 4/6/2025 | Zeina Shahla |
Recommendations Report
. Facilitating journalistic work in all Syrian regions and guaranteeing freedom of the profession within a legal framework that complies with the standards of professional journalism.
. Accountability of all parties and individuals who instigate the journalists and action against the hate speech against the journalists and against all the Syrian components at the present time and later.
. prosecution of any one proven to have incited acts that violate the law or threaten civil peace. Considering incitement a crime punishable by law to ensure deterrence and prevent the spread of hate speech or violence.
. Documenting media violations, including any content that seeks to incite sectarian strife, and demanding that the relevant authorities hold those responsible accountable.
. revealing the fate of forcibly disappeared or missing journalists including the journalist Frehad Hemo, who was kidnapped on December 15th 2014 on qamishlo – Tel-Kochar road by ISIS.
. Abolishing all laws and security controls that restrict freedom of opinion and expression throughout Syria.
. Preventing the exploitation of the media to serve the interests of the authorities or justify the violations.
. Implementing Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which stipulates that every person has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to hold opinions without restrictions on geography.
. strengthening professional training programs for journalists to develop their skills in field coverage, verifying information and confronting media misinformation.
. Providing effective protection mechanisms for journalists in the field, including health insurance, legal support and systems for reporting threats of attacks.
. Encouraging independent media and local initiatives that reflect the Syrian reality in an objective and balanced manner and support cultural and social diversity.
. strengthening international cooperation between local and international journalistic institutions to exchange experiences and ensure the protection of journalists from the rsks associated with covering conflicts.
Note:
Due to the exceptional circumstances caused by the attacks in the region, which resulted in technical difficulties, the release of the 2025 report on violations against journalists in Syria, which is published annually by the Free Media Accusation – YRA at the beginning of the year, was delayed.
Free Media Association
