Three more media workers lost their lives in Syria this week, according to reports. The International Press Institute (IPI) condemned the killings, and called on all sides to respect the role of journalists in covering the conflict.
On Wednesday, Sep. 26, Press TV correspondent Maya Naser, 32, was killed by a sniper in Damascus while covering bomb blasts targeting a military building, the Iranian news service reported. His colleague Hussein Mortada, who is the Damascus bureau chief for Press TV and Al-Alam, was wounded by sniper fire.
The Syrian Journalists Association further reported the deaths of one journalist and one media activist on Wednesday.
Journalist Mamoun Ahmed Al-Gghanndo was killed by a mortar shell that fell on his house in the suburbs of Damascus on Wednesday, the SJA reported.
Media activist Abdul Aziz Ragheb El-Sheikh, who corresponded from Deir al-Zour for the Sham News Network, was killed by “indiscriminate shelling,” also on Wednesday, the SJA said.
“Far too many journalists and media activists have lost their lives in this conflict,” said IPI Deputy Director Anthony Mills. “We urge those fighting on all sides to respect the right of journalists to work without fear of attack or reprisal.”