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QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) urged on Tuesday Syrian authorities to stop prosecuting journalists for expressing professional opinions, welcoming the release of Syrian-American journalist Eiad Charbaji after his brief detention in Damascus. The IFJ stated Charbaji, who works for Al Jazeera in the United States, was released on Dec. 15 after being detained by Syrian security troops in connection with a defamation lawsuit filed under Syria’s cybercrimes law. In a statement, the federation joined its affiliate, the Syrian Journalists’ Association (SJA), in welcoming his release and urged authorities to safeguard freedom of expression and end the use of legal measures to silence journalists. as per the SJA, the Department of Criminal Security questioned Charbaji over a video he posted on Facebook five months earlier, in which he commented on social and ideological challenges facing a generation that grew up in Idlib that was under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) until the fall of Assad regime in December 2024. The lawsuit accused him of exceeding “the limits of freedom of expression” and called for public prosecution on charges including defamation, slander, and inciting sectarian strife.
Charbaji stated his remarks were taken out of context and that he committed no legal or moral wrongdoing. The IFJ stressed that detaining journalists in pre-trial custody without public evidence or a clear trial timeline constitutes a severe violation of the law. It also warned against persisted reliance on restrictive media laws inherited from the former Assad-era legal framework. IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said that freedom of expression has become “a tangible reality” in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad and must be preserved.
He called on authorities to drop all charges against Charbaji and halt prosecutions linked to journalists’ professional work. Since the collapse of the Assad administration in 2024, Syria has entered a transitional period marked by cautious openings for media freedom alongside persisted legal and institutional challenges. In September 2025, the IFJ led a fact-finding mission to Damascus, resulting in an agreement with Syrian journalists’ unions to draft a national reform agenda for the media sector. Rights groups say reforming cybercrime and media laws remains vital to ensuring lasting press freedom.
Moreover, by Jwan Shekaki
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