Press Statement

Syrian Coalition

Istanbul, Turkey

September 29, 2013

The Syrian Coalition renews its call on organizations concerned with preserving the rights of journalists, in particular Reporters Without Borders, to protect journalists in Syria facing abduction, harassment, and death by the Assad regime for more than two-and-a-half years.

AFP correspondent Murhaf al-Modahi, pseudonym Abu Shuja, was killed in the line of duty on Sunday, September 29, 2013 by Assad forces’ shelling in Deir Ezzor.

The late Murhaf al-Modahi picked up a camera and started documenting events of the Syrian Revolution as soon as the first protests broke out in Deir Ezzor. He worked through the bullets, bombs, and artillery. He challenged the military machine of the Assad regime and exposed Assad as a merciless criminal to the whole world.

We ask for Mercy for our martyrs, health for our wounded, and freedom for our detainees.

Long live Syria and its people, free and with honor.