Syria still world’s worst for missing journalists after upheaval – RSF
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Tuesday that Syria remains the world’s most dangerous country for journalists, with 37 media workers still missing one year after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
In a new report, RSF announced that many of the missing were abducted or detained before Assad’s ouster in December 2024, and that the collapse of his security apparatus has not resulted in new information about their fate.
Some were imprisoned by Assad’s intelligence branches, while others were taken hostage by the Islamic State group (ISIS) at the height of its territorial control.
The report also highlighted the role of elements of the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which consolidated its power following the regime’s collapse. RSF said HTS continues to hold several journalists and called for their “immediate and unconditional” release.
Despite major political shifts over the past year, the RSF warned that families of missing media workers remain without answers.
Syria now accounts for more than a quarter of the world’s missing journalists, reflecting what RSF described as the “long-term and institutionalized nature of enforced disappearances” across successive armed actors.
The report urged Syrian authorities, local armed groups, and international stakeholders to prioritize the uncovering of mass graves, prison archives, and detention sites linked to past and present factions.
The RSF said truth and accountability for missing journalists are essential to any genuine transition toward transparency and justice.