Journalists association rejects Syria ministry’s planned code
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian Journalists Association rejected on Saturday an announcement by Syria’s Ministry of Information about launching what it described as a “professional code of conduct” on February 15, saying the move contradicts legal and professional standards during the transitional phase.
In a statement, the association said its position stems from its responsibility to protect trade union gains and safeguard press freedom. It added that the constitutional declaration for the transitional period, issued by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, forms the legal framework for public rights and freedoms.
“The declaration guarantees freedom of opinion and expression and ensures the work of associations and unions,” the association said.
The group considered the ministry’s attempt to impose a “code of conduct” from the executive authority as a circumvention of both the spirit and the text of the constitutional declaration. It warned that such a move would reproduce forms of administrative oversight that contradict Syrians’ aspirations for a free and responsible media environment.
The association said that democratic transition requires a clear separation between the executive role of the government and the professional role of independent unions. It added that setting professional and ethical standards for journalistic work is “a purely union matter” to be handled by bodies representing journalists, foremost among them the Syrian Journalists Association and the Syrian Journalists Union.
It warned that interference by the Ministry of Information in this field would undermine the principle of professional self-regulation and open the door to politicizing ethical standards and using them as tools of administrative control.
The association also cautioned against turning the Ministry of Information into an “ethical watchdog” over journalists, saying such a role would effectively restore systems of censorship and undermine the prospects of building a free investigative media capable of monitoring the executive authority.
It called on the ministry to respect the limits of its executive and logistical role, refrain from intervening in professional and union affairs, and respect the independence of the journalistic body as a pillar of democratic transition in Syria.