Syria: We welcome the release of Nada Mashriqi but remain concerned over freedom of the press in the country
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Syria: We welcome the release of Nada Mashriqi but remain concerned over freedom of the press in the country
June 15, 2020, Lattakia -- The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the release of Journalist Nada Mashriqi and her colleague Wael Ali.
On 25 May 2020, police forces raided the office of the Lattakia News Network and arrested journalist Nada Mashriqi and her colleague Wael Ali over allegations of spreading false news and undermining state prestige. The raid and arrest occurred with no prior judicial order against them.
Nada and her colleague were denied access to lawyers or visits from family members. Upon constant requests, they were permitted to contact their families. They were questioned about many issues irrelevant to the post that their charges revolved around. On 15 June 2020, Nada and her colleague Wael Ali, were acquitted. The charges against them were dropped. Lattakia News Network is a Facebook news page that has more than 400.000 subscribers. The network is known for its support to the state. Their editorial policy focuses on combating corruption and revealing manipulation in the service sector.
Nada was also kept under detention for 4 days in 2017 for publishing a post revealing a corruption case.
According to the current media law which is about to be amended, Nada and her colleague are not considered journalists but rather media activists because they don’t have an academic degree in journalism.
This limitation in the law makes journalists in Syria vulnerable to legal harassment. When a criminal investigation is initiated against such journalists they are investigated under online crimes law instead of media law which would provide them with more protection. Membership to the journalists union in Syria requires a set of strict and complicated criteria that hardly apply to any media activist.
CFWIJ is monitoring press freedom issues and the safety of women journalists in Syria closely. Even under intense censorship, we documented 13 cases of attacks towards women journalists in the first half of 2020, proving the severity of press freedom status in Syria.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the release of journalist Nada Mashriqi and her colleague with caution and calls upon the Syrian authorities to review the legislations regulating press freedom and journalists’ union membership. We also invite the regime to take action to guarantee the safety of women journalists in line with international standards and conventions.
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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ. Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org