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Syrian regime sentences Al-Jazeera presenter to death in absentia

July 22, 2017 at 3:12 pm

Faisal Qassim [Image: youtube.com | Fareed Mohamad ]

The regime in Syria has sentenced to death in absentia a presenter at Al-Jazeera TV, reported Arabi21.com on Friday. Faisal Al-Qasim is adjudged to have “taken part in bloodshed” in Syria, a local source said.

According to Tayseer Al-Samadi, an aide of the Syrian Justice Minister, the “death sentence was issued against him [Al-Qasim] in case he is captured.” He also revealed that other complaints were filed against the mass media which are alleged to have contributed to the bloodshed of the Syrians and spread sedition. “These include Al-Jazeera.”

The official stressed that the complaints did not just call for Al-Jazeera to be closed down, but also for it to pay compensation.

Read: Al Jazeera pivotal to ‘the second wave of the Arab Spring’

This is not the first time that punitive measures have been taken against Al-Qasim. In the past, the regime in Damascus confiscated his large home and turned it into a military base. Meanwhile, the Syrian Bar Association has also filed a complaint against Al-Jazeera, accusing it of “inciting people to commit genocide.”