Dozens of Syrian journalists leave Idlib after receiving asylum in Germany
(North Press) – Two convoys of Syrian activists and journalists left Idlib towards Turkish territory on Monday morning, awaiting transfer to Europe after they obtained asylum.
Informed sources told North Press that 35 journalists from Idlib and the countryside of Aleppo travelled to Turkey through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing after their asylum applications were accepted in Germany.
The sources added that a second batch will be sent to France.
The sources indicated that Syrian organizations, in cooperation with Reporters Without Borders, worked on journalists’ asylum requests during the attack by government and Russian forces last year on the Idlib countryside.
The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) announced that it had compiled an initial list that included the names of more than 470 journalists, and collaborated with countries that expressed interest in resettlement.
In 2018, France, Germany, and Spain accepted the requests of 31 journalists out of 65 from southern Syria whose asylum applications were submitted according to the SCM.