Journalists and media activists condemned being barred from covering two official events in Rif Dimashq governorate within days, despite having been invited, as they were told after entering the hall that coverage would not be allowed.
The two events were the handover ceremony in which a new director of the Eastern Ghouta area took over from his predecessor in the presence of the governor of Rif Dimashq, and a meeting of the interior minister and the governor with the governorate notables.
They considered the first an unusual scene worth documenting for what it signals about the handover of administrative responsibilities, and the second a matter affecting a broad segment of residents who have a right to know what was discussed in it.
They criticised the way some government institutions deal with them as if they were their own media offices, stressing that the press is an independent party that reports facts and asks questions, and they called for respect for journalistic work and for invitations not to be turned into a formality. No official comment had been issued as of the time of publication.
Why is the news true?
Direct testimony: The item rests on the accounts of journalists and media activists about being barred from covering the two events after entering the hall despite having been invited to them, and no official comment on the matter had been issued as of the time of publication.
