US court convicts former Syrian official of torture crimes
The conviction marks a key step toward accountability for torture and abuses against detainees and protesters by the Assad regime, challenging impunity and reinforcing calls to expand universal jurisdiction.
Syria: Assad regime built vast surveillance system to target journalists
An RSF investigation reveals a coordinated intelligence apparatus used to monitor, blacklist, and target reporters, with at least 181 journalists killed between 2011 and 2024 as part of a systematic policy.
Syrian civil society urges renewal of UN inquiry mandate
Ahead of the Human Rights Council session, Syrian groups warn that massacres, abductions, and enforced disappearances persist, saying that any weakening of the Commission of Inquiry would undermine accountability, credibility, and justice for victims.
Syria: Consultations begin on a new media legal framework
Over four days in Damascus, the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression brought together journalists, lawyers, students, and officials to develop a legal framework that better protects independent media and freedom of expression
Syria: First year of transition marred by repression of minorities and expression
PEN International says systematic persecution of minorities, rising hate speech, and attacks by government forces and affiliated militias have created a suffocating environment for writers, with entrenched impunity countrywide.
A network of interconnected channels fuels the conflict in As-Suwayda
A web of coordinated Telegram channels circulated misleading videos, graphic imagery, and sectarian slurs during the As-Suwayda clashes, magnifying polarization as platforms failed to curb their spread.
Meta’s human rights promises ring hollow
SMEX’s analysis finds that Meta’s delayed 2024 human rights report fails to address over-moderation and opaque takedowns in MENA, exposing persistent threats to freedom of expression and accountability online.
A year after Assad’s fall, Syrian journalists enjoy freedom but also new risks
After decades of repression, reporters travel freely and publish without censorship, yet threats now come from militias, Israeli border incursions, and unclear rules for media work.
One year after Assad: Limited reforms, scant justice, and continuing bloodshed
Fragile gains in expression and association are undermined by sectarian attacks, opaque governance and symbolic justice mechanisms that stall reform and threaten Syria’s civic space.
Syrian journalists call for stronger protection and fairer access to support
An SCM study finds Syrian journalists lack timely assistance and security guarantees, urging reforms to strengthen protection, expand training, and ensure equal access to resources.
Syria’s transition hangs in the balance as civic voices shut out
A new report from CIHRS details how exclusionary policies are marginalizing Syria’s civil society and calls for reforms to secure an inclusive and democratic transition.
Record journalist deaths demand action to end impunity
Amid record journalist deaths in Gaza, Syria, and Yemen, GCHR warns impunity is deepening repression and calls for urgent measures to protect free expression.
French court issues arrest warrants for senior Syrian officials in Homs press center bombing
After 13 years of investigation, French judges charged seven former Syrian officials, including Bashar al-Assad, with complicity in war crimes for the 2012 Homs press center bombing that killed two journalists.
Bashar Al-Assad can be prosecuted in France, but the Court missed an opportunity to make history
France’s court dropped Assad’s warrant citing immunity, but rights groups stress the ruling still clears a path for future accountability.