Damascus - Saba:
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights condemned, on Friday, the takfiri groups' prevention of foreign journalists and media agencies from accessing the coastal governorates, forcing them to leave the country within a month.
The Syrian Observatory stated that only certain media outlets close to these groups were allowed to enter for the purpose of media coverage, with specific areas specifically designated for entry.
According to private information received by the Observatory, confirming that journalists were prevented from entering to investigate the violence that has affected large areas of the Syrian coastal cities and villages, the Observatory confirmed that the takfiri groups are preventing relief teams and aid from reaching the coastal cities, which it described as "disaster-stricken" areas.
The Observatory added that these measures are part of a systematic effort to conceal evidence of war crimes and genocide, noting that restricting the movement of journalists is part of a systematic policy to obscure the facts and prevent documentation of violations.
The Observatory warns that isolating the Syrian coast from the outside world paves the way for forced demographic change and the obliteration of the evidence of crimes against humanity.
It calls on the international community to take urgent action to ensure access for journalists and provide the necessary assistance, stressing that the media blackout facilitates impunity for perpetrators.
Cities on the Syrian coast have witnessed an unprecedented wave of violence against members of the Alawite sect, culminating in genocide. According to what the Observatory has been able to document so far, 1,476 unarmed civilians have been killed, in addition to acts of vandalism, looting, and burning of private property, including homes, shops, and cars.