Russia calls for protection of journalists in Syria

Published time: August 14, 2012 11:30
Edited time: August 14, 2012 21:38
Reuters / Khaled Al Hariri

As the fighting in Syria continues to rage, Russia is calling on international organizations to respond to attacks against journalists in the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

­Russia condemned the “terrorist attacks against journalists” who are working to “ensure the democratic rights of people to receive objective information, freedom of speech and opinion” about the ongoing conflict in Syria, Maria Zakharova, deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s press office said in a statement posted on the ministry’s website on Tuesday.

Zakharova called on international and regional journalistic organizations to condemn the attacks as well: "We are operating on the assumption that the appropriate international and regional organizations, together with those countries that have influence on the armed opposition, cannot ignore what is happening."

"All media personnel should receive equal treatment; arbitrariness and double standards are unacceptable on this issue," she wrote.

Russia is increasingly concerned about information it is receiving from Syria on the growing number of attacks on local and international media by militant opposition groups, the statement said.

Zakharova cited the August 10 kidnapping of a group of television journalists, as well as the August 11 killing of a departmental head of the Syrian information agency SANA in Damascus. Three journalists and their driver were abducted on August 10 while covering reporting from a Damascus suburb, and have not been heard from since.

Babacar Gaye, head of the UN observer mission to Syria, condemned the acts of violence against journalists covering the events in Syria.

Comments (23)

A.Smith 15.08.2012 10:05

From the Israeli/Obama White House Sponsored Syrian terrorists to the UK's SAS and Frances Special forces troops training the 'rebel' snipers and supplying them with civilian target lists, it's clear Obama and those in the Zionist corrupted Pentagon have Green Lighted the targeting of foreign journalists, along with cameramen, reporters, taxi drivers, ambulance drivers and emt's.

For weeks the Satanically evil Zionist media spewed their propaganda lies and talking points telling their audience several 'french' and one UK journalist had been killed by Assad's troops. Then it was revealed by the french forensic doctors the journalists all died from nail bomb IED's from the Israeli/Obama sponsored Syrian terrorists. The Zionist media outlets of course never issued a apology nor retraction even when it was proven they were lieing and the journalists had been blown up by a foreign terrorist 'rebel' triggering a IED filled with nails.

Russia and China can of course call for xyz but it's clear that Israeli/Obama sponsored terrorist 'rebel' snipers are deliberately targeting journalists, cameramen, reporters among ambulance drivers, emt's etc. Also some discussion of Israeli/Obama supplied hit lists have surfaced indicating a wide range of civilians also are being targeted for death.

Report s in Aleppo appear to allege Russian and Iranian snipers came to help the Syrian troops clean out the hold outs in Aleppo neighbourhoods. The same reports indicate they were deadly accurate and very efficient in removing the rat infestation. I hope such reports are true and accurate followed by a great many more Russian and Iranian snipers operating in Syria to support the Syrian Gov.

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Dukenuke'em (unregistered) 15.08.2012 07:08

I think this whole mess is very sad, it all started with peaceful demostrations, the goverment decided to clamp down on the demostrators, which then turned into a uprising, Assad, then sent in the army to quell the uprising, and all that did was make more people angry, and then the FSA was formed, the international community could do nothing but watch Syria burn as it entered civil war.  Still the world just watches!!

Rus sia, China and the UN, have tried to talk to Assads regime and the FSA,  but they have both refused to listen, and both sides are still fighting.

I personally think Assad and the FSA are as bad as each other, the only way for peace, is to let Assad stay in power, but on the condition he holds a election.

The freedom to elect someone into power, that is what all this fighting is about, Assad says his people want him in power, if that is that case, why does he not prove it and open the ballot boxes!

We are very fortunate we have elections in our country to choose someone to lead our country and be a voice for us within the international community.  Some countries like Syria are not given that choice.

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alex (unregistered) 15.08.2012 01:04

Moron99 (unregistered) wrote in #5 It is to be expected.  If regime media wants to stop the attacks then all they need to do is start telling the truth.  You can't kill 25,000 innocent people, call them terrorists, and not expect some of the relatives to seek vigilante justice.  The more people the regime kills then the more vigilante it will create.  It is not too late for the regime to step down and avoid the approaching sectarian storm.  Everybody knows that the alawite & christian are scared and that they back the regime from that fear.  But the regime creates that fear.  The "opposition" still wants justice for all Syrians including the alawite and christian.  But if they keep following assad it will become a self fulfilling prohecy.  Assad is creating the environment for retribution.  Only two things stop it now.  Internal coup overthrowing baath or foreign intervention.  I do not think Russia has any concern for Syrian peasants.  There are already 20,000 of them dead due to Russian blocking of UN.  I think Russia would pave the streets with Syrian bones to protect Putin's vision of rebuilding soviet power.  Your journalists are dying as result of supporting this policy with lies and propaganda.  The best protection against vihilante is to tell the truth.   Bla bla bla ,, you think that Un gives a damn abou the Syrians .. lol .. they would just bomb them like they did with Lybians,  Afghanis and Iraqis ...

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