DAMSCUS: Syrian human rights groups and legal organizations are stepping up efforts to hold perpetrators accountable for crimes against journalists under the regime of former leader Bashar Assad, as the world marked the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on Nov. 2.

The efforts aim to turn years of documented killings, torture, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances into criminal cases that could be pursued through national and international justice mechanisms.

Fadel Abdul Ghany, director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, said on Monday that the network had documented the killing of 559 journalists and media workers by forces of the ousted regime between March 2011 and Syria’s liberation on Dec. 8, 2024.

The victims included 48 journalists who died under torture in detention centers, while at least 1,612 others were injured during the same period, he said.

The network also recorded at least 1,358 cases of arrest or abduction involving media workers.

Abdul Ghany said 392 journalists detained by the deposed regime remain forcibly disappeared, including eight women. Four foreign journalists are also among those missing.

The group also documented direct attacks on journalists, media offices and vehicles used by media workers.

Abdul Ghany said international humanitarian law protects journalists as civilians unless they directly participate in hostilities, citing Rule 34 of the International Committee of the Red Cross’ customary international humanitarian law study and UN Security Council Resolution 2222 of 2015.

He said deliberately attacking journalists could constitute a war crime when the relevant legal conditions are met.

Killings, torture and enforced disappearances carried out as part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilians could also amount to crimes against humanity, he added.

According to Abdul Ghany, the group’s database has evolved from a record of violations into a body of criminal evidence that could help establish chains of command and identify military units and security branches responsible for abuses.

He said the evidence could support prosecutions before Syrian and international courts.

Rihada Abdoush, a lawyer and member of the Women’s Committee and the Rights and Freedoms Committee at the Central Bar Association, said journalists faced systematic persecution by the deposed regime throughout the Syrian revolution.

She said the ousted regime used security investigations, arbitrary prosecutions and restrictive legislation to intimidate journalists and prevent them from documenting violations against civilians.

Abdoush said weaknesses in media legislation left journalists vulnerable to prosecution under broadly worded provisions of the general penal code.

She added that subsequent cybercrime laws introduced vaguely defined offenses, including provisions concerning the alleged weakening of national morale, which were used to justify arrests and restrict press freedom.

The Bar Association is now working to provide legal support to journalists and victims’ families seeking accountability, she said.

Its strategy includes training lawyers to handle cases involving media workers, as well as helping female journalists understand their legal rights, document violations and respond to intimidation.

Abdoush said the association was organizing workshops with civil society organizations to examine legal reforms and improve protections for journalists.

It is also seeking to establish permanent legal support units, provide free consultations to victims and develop databases documenting violations that could be used in future prosecutions. She said the association would assist journalists and victims’ families wishing to file complaints or pursue legal action, including preparing evidence and building criminal cases.

The initiative also aims to create a safer working environment for Syrian journalists, particularly women, while strengthening legal safeguards against future violations.

The UN General Assembly established the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists in 2013, designating Nov. 2 as an annual occasion to highlight attacks on media workers and call for accountability.

The observance holds particular significance for the Syrian Arab Republic, where rights organizations have documented extensive violations against journalists by the deposed regime during the years of the revolution, including killings, detention, torture, enforced disappearances, digital surveillance and threats.

Human rights advocates say converting these records into criminal evidence is a key step toward securing justice for victims and holding those responsible accountable.