Today, Thursday 10/5/2023, Ethical Charter for Syrian Media “ECSM”, in cooperation with the Syrian Journalists Association “SJA”, held a dialogue forum on “raising awareness and empowerment of young journalists about the legal issues related to working conditions and protecting themselves in conflict areas” in Gaziantep – Turkey.
The forum included three discussion sessions in which 27 male and female journalists participated in physical presence or via “ZOOM” (online), during which they presented several issues and their experiences regarding the issue of contracts and working conditions with their media institutions.
The forum facilitator, lawyer Ghazvan Koronful, began the first session by talking about the law definition as a framework through which relationships between individuals are regulated, and then talked about the work contracts and their conditions and obligations.
A number of journalists spoke about issues related to contracts and raised inquiries about the measures that could be taken if their contracts were subjected to a violation, or one of the parties shied away from adhering to the contract terms, especially monopolizing the employment contract with the institution and not giving the journalist a copy of it, or the journalist signing two contracts with two different wages, the first is secret and the second is public submitted to government departments.
The attendees unanimously agreed that the situation inside Syria does not apply to many international laws to protect journalists in light of the lack of international recognition for the Syrian opposition and those who represent it inside Syria. A number of attendees also raised issues related to the problems that journalists were exposed to even after they left Syria, and their departure to Europe.
Journalist Ahmad Elabsi, Chairman of “ECSM”, explained during his response to one of the questions about the possibility of the “ECSM” being a deterrent body or authorized to legally prosecute media institutions that do not adhere to journalists’ contracts, that “ECSM” is a body that does not legally bind its members, but rather its commitment to its institutions is moral. Whereas, journalist Akram Alahmad, a member of the Board, saw that the “ECSM”, from the beginning of its establishment, was concerned only with content produced by media institutions, leaving the obligation to defend the rights of journalists to journalists associations, networks, or unions.
The second session was focused on talking about international humanitarian law, which is known as the “law of war” and includes what must be taken into account during armed conflicts. During his speech, Koronful explained the difference between the “law of war” and international human rights law, which includes the totality of international relations with regard to human rights.
The participating journalists discussed several problems that reporters and journalists suffer from inside Syria, especially their exposure to arrest and prosecution. Questions were asked about the solutions that journalists inside Syria can follow so that they are not convicted if they leave Syria. Akram Alahmad answered that this issue is thorny, and journalists must stay away, as much as possible, refrain from covering the news and activities of parties controlling the region, without covering other opinions and angles that could represent the opinion of the other party in the region in which he works, so that the journalist is not considered a spokesman for this or that party.
“The Professional Safety Guide for Journalists” was the focus of discussion among attendees during the third session. The facilitator explained that the International Federation of Journalists has developed a complete written guide that includes several chapters related to the professional safety of journalists and promotes that culture in conflict zones in the Arab world and the Middle East in general, such as preparation and training before traveling to conflicts areas, assessing potential risks, and taking the necessary measures to prevent them, in addition to talking about the personal measures that journalists must take during their coverage in conflict areas.
The conclusion of the session witnessed a talk about journalists’ negative and positive experiences regarding their work and coverage, whether inside or outside Syria, citing cases that occurred with them or with their colleagues.
It is noteworthy that the “ECSM” periodically holds forums and workshops for Syrian journalists as part of its effort to reach a media free of violations, whether against journalists or the audience who follow media institutions that have signed the charter.
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