Syria bars three news platforms over licensing; two suspend domestic activity

Developments

Syria’s Ministry of Information has ordered three outlets—Hashtag, Jusoor News and Al-Daleel—barred from conducting any media work inside the country, saying they failed to obtain licenses from the Directorate of Press Affairs and warning that collaborators inside Syria may face legal prosecution. Assistant Minister Abada Koujan said the platforms were repeatedly contacted and accused them of unethical conduct. In response, Al-Daleel and Hashtag announced they will suspend operations within Syria while continuing from abroad, and Jusoor News said its licensing issue is procedural and expected to be resolved shortly.

Journalists and rights advocates criticized the immediate bans and the threat of prosecution. The Syrian Journalists Association said it is reviewing the decision, has contacted the affected outlets, and urged clearer separation between individual journalists’ rights and institutional licensing rules; it plans an independent complaints committee and called for longer grace periods and avenues for legal objection. Legal researcher Al-Mu'tasim Al-Kilani warned that abrupt bans and sweeping prosecution threats risk undermining freedoms guaranteed under Article 13 of the Constitutional Declaration and urged a gradual regulatory process and a unified legal framework; other commentators, including journalist Hazem Dakel and lawyer Fahd Zaatari, also criticized the move as overly restrictive and exclusionary, arguing it concentrates excessive power over who may publish. as reported by The Syrian Observer