Journalists, other media professionals and human rights activists

COMMON ANALYSIS
Last update: June 2025

This profile refers to journalists, other media professionals and bloggers seen as critical. It also refers to human rights activists, i.e. persons who individually or with others, act to promote or protect human rights. For guidance on political opposition activists, see Political activists, Assad-opposition party members, protesters, and civilians originating from areas associated with opposition by the Assad regime.

Journalists, other media professionals and human rights activists had been subjected to persecution (e.g. killing, arbitrary arrest, detention without trial, kidnapping, torture, enforced disappearance) by the Assad regime, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Syrian National Army (SNA), and the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL). As mentioned above, the risk related to the Assad regime has vanished. Nevertheless, the SDF, the SNA and ISIL are still present and operating and there is no information available indicating that their approach towards journalists, other media professionals and human rights activists has changed.

While HTS has arrested journalists and media activists and subjected them to detention under harsh conditions in the past, there is, at the time of writing, no specific information as to the treatment of journalists, other media professionals and human rights activists by the Transitional Administration.

Therefore, it can be concluded that:

Acts reported to be committed against individuals under this profile are of such severe nature that they amount to persecution (e.g. abduction, killing, arbitrary arrest, kidnapping, torture, ill-treatment, enforced disappearance).

In the case of journalists, other media professionals and human rights activists who are seen as critical by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Syrian National Army (SNA), and/or the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), well-founded fear of persecution would in general be substantiated in the areas where these groups have operational capacity.

As per the potential targeting by the Transitional Administration, the individual assessment of whether there is a reasonable degree of likelihood for the applicant to face persecution should be made on a case-by-case basis and should take into consideration the most recent COI.

Where well-founded fear of persecution is substantiated for an applicant under this profile, this is highly likely to be for reasons of (imputed) political opinion. In the case of persecution by extremist groups such as ISIL, it may also be for reasons of religion.