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| The late Abdelkareem al-Oqda |
Syrian blogger and citizen journalist Abdelkareem al-Oqda, also
known as Abu Hassan and Karmo, is yet another victim of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad’s war on truth, freedom and the Syrian people.
Oqda and three friends were killed and their bodies set alight in
the Hama Province last Wednesday (September 19).
The 27-year-old was known as one of the bravest reporters for Shaam News Network.
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| SNN's Facebook page |
SNN says Oqda never feared for his life when reporting in the most
dangerous of situations. He always told his friends it was more important the
world be shown the truth about happenings in Syria, now in the 18th month
of a bloody revolution.
Oqda had uploaded on YouTube 1,252 videos exposing atrocities committed
by the regime against citizens in the Hama Province,
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| Abu Hassan: "I will film until my last breath" |
In one of the videos, Oqba explains why he left his job as a
construction worker to take up filming. "I want to expose the crimes carried
out by the regime... I will film until my last breath," he said.
His fellow-reporters often heard him saying, “God, let me die for
the sake of truth and justice.” His wish has sadly been granted.
SNN has posted thousands of videos documenting
the unrest in Syria since it was founded in February 2011, about a month before
the outbreak of the revolution in mid-March last year. International news
organizations use the network’s footage regularly.
The UK-based watchdog Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
says an army attack on the Arba’een district of Hama -- one of the main arenas
of Syria's anti-regime uprising -- left 16 people dead on the same day.
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| Oqda, killed and burned with his friends Nidal and Hamzah Bakour and Basel Kannan |
SNN says Oqda was at his home in Arba’een on
Wednesday morning with friends Nidal and Hamzah Bakour and Basel Kannan. They
were preparing to go filming when Assad forces ambushed the home, killed the
four and then torched the house and their bodies.
Abu Hassan leaves behind a wife and brother, both of whom are
currently detained by the Assad regime. His brother has been held since the
summer of 2010.
Both Oqda’s home and his brother’s had been gutted by Assad forces
once before. His sister’s children were stabbed to death in a massacre
perpetrated by regime forces in rural Hama some months ago, according to SNN.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
condemned the brutal attack and called on all sides to stop targeting
journalists.
"We condemn this brutal targeting and
murder of Abdelkareem al-Oqda," said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney.
"Journalists are civilians, and the army must know that it will be held
accountable for its actions against reporters."
At least 21 journalists have been killed
covering the Syrian revolution since November, including one killed just over
the border in Lebanon, making Syria the most dangerous place in the world for
journalists, according to CPJ research.
CPJ has documented resurgence in dangers
facing the press in Syria over the past five weeks, including the disappearance
of three foreign journalists.
Turkish cameraman Cüneyt Ünal and reporter
Bashar Fahmi, a Jordanian citizen of Palestinian origin, who work for the U.S.
government-funded Al-Hurra TV news channel, were reported missing in the
northwestern city of Aleppo on August 20. Six days later, Ünal appeared in a video saying he had been taken captive while
reporting in Syria, but did not explicitly name his captors. But the video
appeared on a pro-government television channel. The cameraman made no mention
of Fahmi. No further information is known about the journalists' whereabouts or
condition.
CPJ adds that U.S. freelance journalist Austin
Tice has not been heard from for over a month. At the end of August, the Czech
ambassador who represents U.S. interests in Syria said the government had detained Tice, but Syrian authorities refused to confirm they were
holding him, according to news reports.
"We call on the captors of Cüneyt Ünal,
Bashar Fahmi, and Austin Tice to release them," said CPJ's Mahoney.
The Paris-based press watchdog, Reporters
Without Borders (RSF), said: "Syria's cities have become a 'Bermuda Triangle' for
journalists."
As a blogger, believer in free speech and humanitarian, I mourn the
killing of Abdelkareem al-Oqda. May he rest in peace.
More here:
Oqda’s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/hama4free
Oqda’s FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/P.AbuHasan
Al-Arabiya Arabic Television Report on His Death: http://youtu.be/wszju55Tvz4
