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, Mr. LAUTENBERG, and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

MARCH 28, 2012 

Reported by Mr. KERRY, without amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble 

MARCH 29, 2012 

Considered and agreed to with an amended preamble 

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) stresses the obligations of states under international law 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 jourVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:48 Mar 31, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR391.ATS SR391

pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•SRES 391 ATS 

nalists and arrested, abducted, beaten, tortured, and 

killed journalists, photographers, and bloggers to prevent 

the free flow of accurate information to the outside 

world; 

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; 


pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•SRES 391 ATS 

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 FrancePresse 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 


pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•SRES 391 ATS 

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 

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; 


pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•SRES 391 ATS 

1 (3) calls on the Government of Syria to imme2 diately release all journalists, videographers, and 

3 bloggers who have been detained, arrested, or im4 prisoned; 

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

6 their lives while reporting on the conflict in Syria; 

7 (5) commends the bravery and courage of jour8 nalists who continue to operate in harm’s way; 

9 (6) supports the people of Syria seeking access 

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

11 information; 

12 (7) recognizes the critical role that technology 

13 plays in helping independent journalists report the 

14 facts on the ground; 

15 (8) condemns all acts of censorship and other 

16 restrictions on freedom of the press, freedom of 

17 speech, and freedom of expression in Syria; 

18 (9) strongly condemns all nations that assist or 

19 enable the Government of Syria’s ongoing repression 

20 of the media; and 

21 (10) reaffirms the centrality of press freedom to 

22 efforts by the United States Government to support 

23 democracy and promote good governance around the 

24 world. 

Æ 


pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS