Journalists Imprisoned in 2017 - Jihad Jamal
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | 31 December 2017 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Journalists Imprisoned in 2017 - Jihad Jamal, 31 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a5c939ea.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Freelance | Imprisoned in Syria | March 07, 2012
| Job: | Internet Reporter |
| Medium: | Internet |
| Beats Covered: | Human rights |
| Gender: | Male |
| Local or Foreign: | Local |
| Freelance: | Yes |
| Charge: | No charge |
| Length of Sentence: | Not Sentenced |
| Reported Health Problems: | No |
Jamal, a contributor to local news websites, was detained at a Damascus café along with several human rights activists, according to local news websites. Jamal also aggregated news stories for dissemination to international outlets.
In May 2012, Jamal's case was transferred to a military court, according to news reports. He waged a hunger strike that month to protest his detention, reports said.
As of late 2017, the Syrian mission to the United Nations had not responded to CPJ's emailed request for information on Jamal's legal status and health.
Jamal had been arrested several times previously, including once in October 2011 when he was detained along with Sean McAllister, a British reporter working for the U.K.'s Channel 4. Local news websites said his repeated arrests stemmed from his reporting on human rights abuses and the popular uprising.
Thousands of Syrians have disappeared into Syrian custody since the start of the uprising in 2011. According to a 2015 Human Rights Watch report, families are often forced to pay large bribes to learn any information about their relatives, and other families never approach the security branches for fear of being arrested themselves. Of 27 families of deceased prisoners interviewed by Human Rights Watch for the report, only two received formal death certificates.
