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Tom Harb on the Detention of Sanal al-Khader: From an Elegant Media Personality under Assad to a Veiled Prisoner under al-Sharaa
Syrian authorities detained media personality Sanal al-Khader, who was one of the prominent media figures during the rule of Bashar al-Assad, following a security operation carried out in the Damascus countryside on Thursday, according to circulating reports.
Tom Harb, director of the American Middle East Coalition, commented on al-Khader’s detention, highlighting the change in her public image between the previous and current periods.
In a post on his account on the X platform, Harb wrote: “What caught my attention was not the detention itself, but the stark transformation in the photographs—from an elegant media personality under the dictator Bashar al-Assad to a veiled prisoner under the jihadist al-Sharaa. Yes, people often coexist with and adapt to their environment, no matter how bitter it may be.”
During the former regime’s rule, al-Khader worked as a war correspondent and headed the Military Media Division of what was known as the National Defence Forces. She also served as head of public relations at the Prime Minister’s Office, as part of her professional career in media and official institutions.
Syrian authorities have not yet announced the specific charges against her or whether she has been referred to the judiciary. They have also not disclosed the identities of those detained alongside her.
