Syrian journalists in Idlib face crackdown from jihadist-affiliated government
The government affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria has decreed that journalists can’t work in their areas of control without a permit.
In November 2017, the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) was created as a de facto alternative to the Syrian opposition-led interim government, to start a new phase in the areas outside the control of the Syrian regime in northwestern Syria.
The SSG is known for being under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a radical Islamist group that is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.
The government began to extend its administrative control over all areas of its influence in the western and southern countrysides of Aleppo and the countryside of Idlib, to the point where it had the media in these areas under its thumb, while marginalizing the opposition-led government that no longer had much control, except for east and north Aleppo and some areas of Raqqa and Hasakah.
In July, the SSG officially began restricting the media in its areas of influence, as it required obtaining a press card issued by its media department for those who want to engage in media work. Those who wish to obtain this card would need to provide the government with all sorts of information.
