4 journalists arrested in Hasakah... A news agency demands the release of its team and the release of the seizure of its equipment

ARK News… Security forces affiliated with the Democratic Union Party (PYD) administration continue to arrest four journalists from an active news agency in Deir Ez-Zor Governorate and the Hasakah countryside for nearly two and a half months, in addition to arresting the guard of the agency’s building and seizing property and equipment.

The director of “Baz Agency”, Suleiman Al-Nasser, who currently resides in Germany, revealed in an interview with “ARK” the details of the arrest of the four journalists (Ahmed Al-Ajour, Marwan Majeed, Melhem Al-Ma’ishi, Nidal Ahmed), and the building guard, in addition to the seizure of the agency’s property and equipment since August 27, 2023.

Al-Nasser said, “The security forces (Asayish) arrested 72 days ago the four journalists and the guard of our agency’s building, and seized the building, our car, and our equipment without prior warning,” explaining that “the agency had been licensed for more than three years and had continued to pay the necessary licensing fees until the end of the year.” It was raided in the city of Al-Hasakah.

Regarding the “Baz Agency” relationship with the former commander of the Deir Ez-Zor Military Council, Ahmed Al-Khubail, known as “Abu Khawla,” Al-Nasser explained that “the relationship with him was aimed at facilitating our work in the Deir Ez-Zor region, as he was one of the leaders of the Syrian Democratic Forces, meaning we can say that “The relationship with him was normal and concerned the work of our field staff and facilitating their media tasks.”

Al-Nasser also revealed that “Abu Khawla helped finance some humanitarian programs and campaigns related to humanitarian work, in addition to providing press equipment to some journalists from his tribe.”

Regarding the area that their agency was covering in the media, Al-Nasser said, “Their primary work was in the Deir Ez-Zor region, but their main headquarters was located in the city of Hasakah due to the security situation.”

Al-Nasser added, "His agency's work was directed toward humanitarian documentation and shedding light on the customs of tribal society."

Regarding the four detained journalists, Al-Nasser explained that “they were opponents of the regime and wanted by it, and had previously been arrested in Sednaya prison in Damascus,” noting that “the reason behind their arrest was due to their media influence on the public, especially the Arab public in Deir Ez-Zor.”

Regarding attempts to release them, Al-Nasser explained that they issued a call to reveal their fate and release them, and expressed their astonishment at the position of the Free Media Union, which “did not demand their release or reveal their fate, while issuing statements of protest when a journalist is arrested in Brazil.”

Al-Nasser explained that "his agency's management has sent letters to the US State Department, the International Coalition, and international organizations, but has not received a response yet. He pointed out that "the Syrian opposition has not shown interest in their cause, under the pretext that their agency is a media institution affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces."

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