Syrian national television again issues
Syrian national television resumed its shows for a test period, almost five months after the removal of Bashar al-Assad, a relaunch delayed by international sanctions and outdated equipment, notes AFP.
After the Islamist authorities reached power in December, the state media, especially the television and radio stations, ceased to issue.
On Monday, at 5 pm (14.00 GMT), a presenter appeared on the screen to announce the start of a test of the Al-Ekhbariya post, which issues from Damascus.
« Today, the first official channel has been relaunched, » said the new head of the Radio and Television authority, Alaa Bersilo, promising that it will be « a bridge between the state and the society. »
He explained that the resumption has been postponed several times due to the state of audiovisual infrastructures and sanctions that prevent satellite transmission.
For decades, the Baas Party in power and the Assad clan have repressed the freedom of expression, putting the journalists and transforming the average into instruments in the Government’s balance.
In the 2025 ranking of the freedom of the press drafted by the organization reporters without borders (RSF), Syria ranks 177 from 180 countries.
According to the RSF, despite the conclusion of ‘five decades of brutal and violent repression of the press (…) the registered freedom of journalists remains fragile due to persistent political instability and increasing economic pressures’.
