Abdul Nasser Haj Hamdan

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On February 20, 2020, a Russian airstrike on the northern Syrian city of Ma’arat al-Naasan killed Abdul Nasser Haj Hamdan, a photographer working for the Media Office in Binnish, a pro-civil rights opposition outlet, according to news reports and a Facebook post by his employer.

A Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter jet fired a missile into Ma’arat al-Naasan, a city 4.6 miles northeast of Idlib, which exploded near Hamdan and severely injured him in the blast, an employee of the Media Office in Binnish, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal, told CPJ.

“He was immediately transferred to the hospital in the city of Idlib, where he underwent surgery to stop the internal bleeding and was placed in intensive care for four hours after which he died as a result of severe bleeding,” Hamdan’s coworker said.

Hamdan had worked as a journalist since 2015, and covered events around Idlib, including the recent bombing campaign and anti-government demonstrations, the coworker said. He also worked on a documentary film about the city of Binnish between 2017 and 2019, they said.

“Hamdan documented atrocities against civilians committed by al-Assad-aligned forces in northwestern Syria. He provided great footage for the documentary on the city of Binnish and was very professional,” Hamdan’s coworker added.