2.2.5. Monitoring of online activities

According to SNHR and the independent media organisation Enab Baladi, as cited by DIS, authorities lack the capacity for systematic monitoring and instead react to prominent cases or general trends. However, other sources interviewed by DIS reported that monitoring of online activities continued in a manner consistent with practices under the former government, both inside and outside the country, including through informal networks of informants, leading to widespread self-censorship. Several individuals, including journalists and activists, have reportedly been arrested after criticising government actions online, including in relation to military operations in coastal areas in 2025.348 In February 2026, an Alawite journalist in Latakia was found dead shortly after publishing online criticism of the transitional authorities in February 2026. No official statement regarding the circumstances of the journalist’s death had been issued by the Syrian authorities as of February 2026.349