Activists Condemn SDF’s Arrest of 16 Journalists in Syria's Raqqa

Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Activists Condemn SDF’s Arrest of 16 Journalists in Syria's Raqqa

Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said on Sunday that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) detained at least 16 journalists in Raqqa on July 30.

This came as activists revealed that the Kurdish-led SDF forces have arrested media figures as part of a security campaign in Syria’s northeastern province.

They said the SDF arrested several journalists working in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and in independent media outlets in Raqqa.

The SNHR report said the 16 arrested journalists were held by the SDF’s intelligence apparatus on Saturday under the pretext of “espionage.”

Meanwhile, activists indicated on their Twitter accounts that a large-scale arrest campaign was launched in Raqqa, targeting media professionals including Ruba Al-Ali, an employee at Hawar Agency, Ammar Al-Khalaf from the Euphrates Heritage Agency and formerly at Hawar, Ammar Haidar, who works at North Press and previously at Hawar, Khaled Al-Hassan in the education committee of the Raqqa Civil Council, and Batoul Al-Hassan in the youth media committee and the “Better Tomorrow” organization, in addition to Abdul Karim Al-Raheel, an employee of the Raqqa Civil Council.

According to the Syrian Press Center, the activists said all the detained journalists were from institutions located in the self-styled Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, adding that a number of activists in Raqqa are currently hiding over fears of arrest.

SNHR said the SDF follows a policy similar to the Syrian regime forces during arrest operations, which are not based on any prior judicial warrants.

It said the SDF kidnap the journalists from roads, markets, and public places, or they raid the headquarters of the media agencies and civil groups.

The network expressed fear that the arrested journalists will be subjected to torture during the investigation, and they will be among the forcibly disappeared, similar to the fate of 85 percent of detainees and the disappeared.



Army Defuses Tensions in Northern Lebanon Caused by Syrian Coast Unrest

Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)
Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)
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Army Defuses Tensions in Northern Lebanon Caused by Syrian Coast Unrest

Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)
Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)

The Lebanese army defused on Sunday tensions in the northern city of Tripoli sparked by the clashes along the Syrian coast.

The army deployed in areas separating Sunni and Alawite neighborhoods in Tripoli overnight on Friday to contain any tensions from the violence in neighboring Syria.

Angry protesters had taken to the streets of Tripoli after news broke out over the stabbing of a minor from Syria’s Idlib. Lebanon’s National News Agency later reported that the minor was actually from Lebanon.

Soon after, news circulated on social media that Ahmed Bitar, a man from the predominantly Alawite neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen in Tripoli, was behind the attack.

The protesters blocked the Baqqar road leading to Jabal Mohsen, while tensions were high in the Qobbeh neighborhood, as the people called for the arrest of the perpetrator.

The tensions boiled over into a gunfight, sparking panic among the people. The army soon deployed heavily in the area and restored calm.

The Supreme Alawite Council warned in a statement that “civil peace and security stability were a red line.” It revealed that Bitar had complied with calls to turn himself over to the authorities.

“We fully trust that the security forces will carry out their duties to reveal the circumstances of the crime and uncover the truth,” it said.

“Tripoli has been and will continue to be a model of national unity that will shun strife,” it added.

A security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the tensions in Tripoli were stoked by social media posts. No foreign meddling or political incitement were behind them.

The army moved quickly to contain the tensions, deploying heavily in Tripoli. Sunni and Alawite figures in the city were contacted to help defuse the tensions and prevent the unrest in Syria from spilling over into Lebanon.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Syrian Alawites sought refuge in northern Lebanon to escape the violence along the coast.

Security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Syrians were entering through illegal crossings and heading to predominantly Alawite villages or Jabal Mohsen.

No exact figures have been tallied because the people are entering through illegal crossings, they added.

Media reports and local sources have said over 10,000 people have entered from Syria in the past three days.