Youssef, a reporter for Syrian State TV, was shot and killed
outside his home in the Tadamoun neighborhood of Damascus, according to a report by
the broadcaster. Youssef, 42, had been working for Syrian State TV for eight
years, the broadcaster said. He had been kidnapped and threatened in the past
three months, the report said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Youssef was killed by
rebel forces, according to Agence France-Presse. The report issued by
Youssef’s employer said the journalist was killed by terrorists who were linked
to Al-Qaeda. Since the start of the uprising, the regime has used
“terrorists” as a catch-all phrase for all opposition fighters,
according to news reports.
While CPJ research indicates that many of the fatalities in Syria
have been at the hands of government forces, an increasing number of attacks against
journalists and news outlets seen as pro-government have been attributed to
rebel forces.