III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 391 

Condemning violence by the Government of Syria against journalists, and 

expressing the sense of the Senate on freedom of the press in Syria. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 8, 2012 

Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. 

BINGAMAN, and Mr. LAUTENBERG) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning violence by the Government of Syria against 

journalists, and expressing the sense of the Senate on 

freedom of the press in Syria. 

Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1738 

(2006) obliges states to ensure the safety of journalists 

in war zones; 

Whereas, since the uprisings in Syria began in January 2011, 

the Government of Syria has denied entry to foreign journalists and arrested, abducted, beaten, tortured, and 

killed journalists, photographers, and bloggers to prevent 

the free flow of accurate information to the outside 

world; 


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•SRES 391 IS 

Whereas restrictions imposed by the Government of Syria on 

media have made it extraordinarily difficult to verify 

death tolls and the exact nature and course of events 

within the country; 

Whereas Syrian state media reports differ significantly from 

the few independent reports that make their way out of 

Syria; 

Whereas Reporters Without Borders, an international nongovernmental organization that advocates freedom of the 

press and freedom of information, has listed Bashar alAssad as a Predator of Freedom of the Press; 

Whereas the League of Arab States called for the media to 

be allowed into Syria during its monitoring mission that 

was suspended indefinitely on January 28, 2012, due to 

the ‘‘critical deterioration of the situation’’ in Syria; 

Whereas freelance journalist Ferzat Jarban was tortured and 

killed on November 19 or 20, 2011, after filming protests 

in Al-Qassir, Syria; 

Whereas videographer Basil al-Sayed died on December 27, 

2011, from a gunshot wound he suffered 5 days earlier 

at a checkpoint in the Baba Amr neighborhood in the 

city of Homs, Syria; 

Whereas Shukri Abu al-Burghul of the state-owned daily Al 

Thawra and Radio Damascus died on January 3, 2012, 

in Damascus, Syria from a gunshot wound to the head 

he suffered four days earlier; 

Whereas Gilles Jacquier, a correspondent with France 2 television, was killed in a grenade explosion on January 11, 

2012, while covering demonstrations in the city of Homs; 

Whereas freelance journalist Mazhar Tayyara, a videographer 

and photojournalist who contributed to Agence FranceVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:36 Mar 08, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR391.IS SR391

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•SRES 391 IS 

Presse and other international outlets, was killed by government forces’ fire in the city of Homs on February 4, 

2012; 

Whereas New York Times correspondent Anthony Shadid 

died of an asthma attack on February 16, 2012, while 

attempting to leave Syria after reporting inside the country for a week, gathering information on the Free Syrian 

Army and other armed elements of the resistance to the 

government of President Bashar al-Assad; 

Whereas freelance journalist Rami al-Sayed, who filmed videos of Syrian security forces’ repressive acts, was killed 

on February 21, 2012, while covering the bombardment 

of the city of Homs by Government of Syria forces; 

Whereas journalist Marie Colvin of the Sunday Times, a 

United States citizen, and freelance photojournalist Remi 

Ochlik were killed on February 22, 2012, after their 

makeshift press center in Homs was struck by rockets 

fired by Government of Syria forces; 

Whereas, on February 22, 2012, Department of State 

Spokesman Mark Toner stated, ‘‘[T]oday, we’re also 

clearly deeply troubled and saddened by reports that 

American journalist Marie Colvin and French journalist 

Remi Ochlik were killed today in Homs as a result of the 

intense shelling, the ongoing intense shelling by the Syrian regime. . . . We, of course, extend our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones and just note that 

their sacrifice in chronicling the daily suffering of the 

people of Homs stands as a testament to journalism’s 

highest standards.’’; 

Whereas 13 opposition activists in Syria were killed during 

a weeklong attempt to rescue 4 foreign journalists, 2 of 


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•SRES 391 IS 

whom were injured, who were trapped in Homs as a result of the bombardment by the Government of Syria 

that killed Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik; 

Whereas videographer Anas al-Tarsha, who documented unrest in the besieged city of Homs, was killed by a mortar 

round while filming the bombardment of the city’s 

Qarabees district on February 24, 2012; 

Whereas, from 1992 through 2010, zero journalists were 

killed in Syria according to the Committee to Protect 

Journalists; and 

Whereas the Government of Syria has continued to arbitrarily arrest and detain prominent Syrian journalists 

and bloggers: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) calls on the Government of Syria to imme3 diately open the country up to independent and for4 eign journalists and immediately end its media 

5 blackout; 

6 (2) condemns in the strongest possible terms 

7 the Government of Syria’s abuse, intimidation, and 

8 violence towards journalists, videographers, and 

9 bloggers; 

10 (3) calls on the Government of Syria to imme11 diately release all journalists, videographers, and 

12 bloggers who have been detained, arrested, or im13 prisoned; 

14 (4) pays tribute to the journalists who have lost 

15 their lives while reporting on the conflict in Syria; 


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1 (5) commends the bravery and courage of jour2 nalists who continue to operate in harm’s way; 

3 (6) supports the people of Syria seeking access 

4 to a free flow of accurate news and other forms of 

5 information; 

6 (7) recognizes the critical role that technology 

7 plays in helping independent journalists report the 

8 facts on the ground; 

9 (8) condemns all acts of censorship and other 

10 restrictions on freedom of the press, freedom of 

11 speech, and freedom of expression in Syria; 

12 (9) strongly condemns all nations that assist or 

13 enable the Government of Syria’s ongoing repression 

14 of the media; and 

15 (10) reaffirms the centrality of press freedom to 

16 efforts by the United States Government to support 

17 democracy and promote good governance around the 

18 world. 

Æ 


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