Serious Concern Over the Disappearance of Kurdish Journalists in Syria
May 1, 2025, 11:13 am

Serious Concern Over the Disappearance of Kurdish Journalists in Syria

قلق بالغ بشأن اختفاء الصحفيين الكرد في سوريا

The Syrian Kurdish Journalists Network expresses deep concern regarding the disappearance of our colleagues Akram Saleh, a reporter for CH8, and photographer Judy Hajj Ali, since 7 PM last Wednesday while they were covering ongoing clashes in the Sahna area of the Damascus countryside.

In light of the uncertainty surrounding their fate, we call on the Ministries of Information and Interior of the Syrian government, as well as the relevant security and military authorities, to take immediate action to determine their whereabouts and make every effort to locate them and ensure their safety.

The disappearance of journalists while performing their journalistic duties is a dangerous precedent and a violation of the freedom of media work guaranteed by the constitutional declaration and international charters. Therefore, everyone must act promptly to clarify their fate.

We also urge all official and unofficial entities in the region to cooperate and provide any information that may help determine the whereabouts of our colleagues, who are working with licenses from the Ministry of Information and its affiliated media offices.

We call upon local and international media and human rights organizations to urgently stand in solidarity and apply pressure to end the state of uncertainty and ensure the safety of our colleagues and their safe return to their residence in the capital, Damascus.

**Monitoring and Documentation Office**
Syrian Kurdish Journalists Network

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”