International pressure mounts on Syria as press freedoms come under scrutiny

Travel bans imposed on journalists · Hundreds of news websites censored The Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ, has marked ten years of the Syrian regime by publishing an open letter in which it details serious violations of press and internet freedoms. Joel Simon, Executive Director of the CPJ, begins by pointing out that: “The government [is] still deciding who is and isn’t a journalist, filtering the Internet, and imprisoning reporters for their critical work.” The Organisation for Democracy and Freedom in Syria, ODFS, today added its weight to the campaign. In a statement, ODFS Director, Ribal al Assad, said: "We welcome and support the CPJ letter. It is a damning indictment of the Syrian regime and its policies over the last ten years. “A strong free media environment in Syria would be an investment in the long-term progress of the country. It would encourage the growth of a strong civil society, which would lead to a stable, sustainable democracy with solid social, political, and economic development. “We call on the Syrian regime to end press and internet censorship and unleash social media, and release all political prisoners." The CPJ is particularly critical of the arbitrary use of Syrian law in silencing or detaining critics of the government. ‘Weakening national sentiment’ is a crime under Article 286 of the Penal Code, and is often used to silence journalists critical of the government or its policies. The internet is also heavily restricted, and the CPJ note that Syria is firmly in the top ten worst countries in which to be a blogger. Recently, the Organisation for Democracy and Freedom called for the internet “to be unleashed” in Syria. Only 16.5% of Syrians use the internet. This is one of the lowest penetration rates in the world. The regime has blocked over 200 websites. These are mainly sites which question its policies. Censorship particularly targets social networking and blog platforms as part of a policy to prevent freedom activists getting organised and bringing people together. Blogspot, Maktoob, Facebook and Youtube are all blocked. Internet users are subject to surveillance from the regime. Website owners are legally required to keep the personal data of anyone who posts comments or articles online. Security agents monitor internet cafes and the owners are obliged to identify their clients and report on the "illegal" websites they visit. Ribal al Assad, who runs the ODFS from London, confirmed that he is currently initiating the formation of the Parliamentary Campaign Group for Freedom in Syria, which will increase pressure on the Syrian regime to respect and promote media and internet freedoms.