Yet now, it’s as if the burden falls on the witness, for having seen the faces of mothers & fathers stunned in silence, too shattered to even react, as the lifeless bodies of their most precious were pulled from beneath the rubble, realizing that their lives would never be the same again.

2/3

And so in the name of the children of Syria, anyone claiming to represent them who flatters the military that made sure they'd never see another day, is spitting in the face of every family that has been destroyed.

3/3

Yet now, it’s as if the burden falls on the witness, for having seen the faces of mothers & fathers stunned in silence, too shattered to even react, as the lifeless bodies of their most precious were pulled from beneath the rubble, realizing that their lives would never be the same again.

2/3

A real state frees its citizens and prosecutes criminals. It wouldn’t waste a second entertaining the perverse thought of trading away its own citizens. Holding them for exchange doesn’t show authority. It shows that the state sees the people of Suwayda as nothing but expendable collateral.

8/8

Let's also not forget when the governor appeared in a video back in July sat in a room with kidnapped women & children from Suwayda, to claim they were “safe” people were already outraged by the spectacle. It’s even more disturbing to realize that soon after they were thrown into prison.

7/8

Conditioning their freedom on what another group does makes the state a a partner in crime and exposes Sharaa's willingness to keep innocent Druze civilians locked up to secure Bedouins, favoring one community over another, which ustifyies the people of Suwayda rejecting Sharaa's government.

6/8

Anyone arguing that releasing these civilians weakens the state’s ability to recover the Bedouins is admitting the deliberate detention of innocent people as leverage. If Hijri does not represent Suwayda, then these civilians have nothing to do with him and should never be tied to his actions.

5/8

This isn’t law enforcement, it’s hostage-taking under the guise of an official authority. The state simply recycled the kidnapping and used innocent people as bargaining chips, which can only be described as collective punishment. It’s immoral, illegal, and the behavior of a militia.

4/8

Context: During the July Suwayda crisis, Bedouin tribes kidnapped civilians, the state then gained custody, but instead of letting them go, sent them to prison to hold as leverage. These were not criminals, but victims who were turned into detainees by the very state claiming to protect them.

3/8

When asked why the hostages aren't released “it's complicated” the governor says, justifying it under “precautionary detention” When the presenter reacts with shock that the state is exchanging its own citizens, the governor snaps, telling him not to call it that, then calls it “the exchange.”

2/8

It is, of course, the Syrian state that bears full responsibility, because it is the state that must grant access to independent media and journalists, and not just to those who see themselves as guardians of the state.

8/9

This is the only mechanism through which such attempts can be challenged and exposed. Otherwise, we are left with what looks less like journalism and more like efforts to invent pretexts for further conflict.

9/9

It is, of course, the Syrian state that bears full responsibility, because it is the state that must grant access to independent media and journalists, and not just to those who see themselves as guardians of the state.

8/9

The current conflict in northern Syria is creating layer upon layer of hatred and division, polarization the entire debate around how to move forward, a stark contrast to the unity Al-Sharaa claims the the deployment of his forces was meant to achieve.

7/9

I'm not defending the SDF, just a point that one's grievances with them shouldn't mean engaging in reckless journalism, all it does is provoke those on the other side to respond. We end up in competition of deception, which is just another one of the depravities the current conflict generates.

6/9

But there is also no shortage of those who don’t care about such victims at all and are simply shilling for the state and trying to score points against their adversaries, exploiting anything they can to land a political blow.

5/9

Of course, many sharing the videos of prisoners who claim their innocence are genuinely concerned and rightfully so. They should speak out and defend any potential victims of false imprisonment, and certainly if they've been falsely accused of terrorism. No one should wish that on their enemy.

4/9

This is dangerous not only because it risks terrorists escaping, but also the less obvious problem behind that risk, where those who should be reporting objectively, are weaponizing these prisoners to serve their side of a media war, with little regard for the damage it causes in the process.

3/9

But there's a fiasco playing out on pan-Arab media, along with Syrian state propagandists posing as journalists, that have presented this danger. A clear attempt to portray widespread false imprisonment on terrorism charges in the camp before the facts have even been verified.

2/9