- Media organisation hails 'victory for free journalism'
DUBAI: Syrian newspaper Enab Baladi has resumed distribution on the streets of Damascus and its suburbs after being banned for more than a decade under the Bashar al-Assad regime.
The newspaper, which calls itself an “independent Syrian media organization,” has documented the Syrian regime's abuses during the revolution since it began in 2012.
Distribution of the newspaper was limited to opposition-controlled northern areas until 2020, following Assad's brutal crackdown on dissent.
His editorial stance led to the arrest of many staff members, while others were tortured to death in prisons or killed in shelling and military operations in Daraya.
The media organization said: “The first copies were printed at the founders’ own expense and efforts using a home printer and secretly distributed by volunteers in the Daraya and Damascus areas.”
The organization relied on expanding its digital and visual content to reach audiences online or through printed copies smuggled into Syria.
Following the fall of the Assad regime on December 8 last year following a 12-day violent campaign led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Enab Baladi newspaper resumed distribution in Damascus after opening an office in the capital.
The statement said the move was aimed at “ensuring freedom of speech during a controversial period of transition.”
The media organisation added: “The return of the press to Syria represents a victory for free journalism and an opportunity to reconnect with audiences inside Syria.”
