According to several media sources, Jordanian officers have arrested Amman-based journalist Ibrahim Awwad from his house last Wednesday, after inspecting his house and confiscating his laptop and smartphone.
Syrian journalist arrested in Jordan, threatened with expulsion Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the immediate release of Ibrahim Awwad, a Syrian freelance journalist based in the Jordanian capital, Amman, who was arrested last week @karmel_shamma pic.twitter.com/6n9KNQtxra
— Mohammed al Ersan (@JournalistErsan) November 23, 2021
Syrian journalist Ibrahim Awwad is believed to have been transferred to a fenced-off compound within the UN-run Azraq camp, called Village 5. Awwad's family and friends have told Jordanian media sources that he had been preparing a new online show in which he was planning to discuss the growing Iranian role in Syria.
More details about the reasons behind Ibrahim's arrest are revealed. The real reason behind his arrest is still unclear though, or "they are orders from higher ranks" as one of the security members in al Azraq camp has told him.
— Majid Al-Bunni (@Majid_Albunni) November 20, 2021
More info in this report https://t.co/TWtZJKFpl7
Awwad who is an open critic of the Assad regime in Syria had left his country along with his family in the wake of the Syrian war. They resided in Turkey until 2015 when they relocated to Jordan where they have obtained special residency granted to Syrians post the war.
According to Alqabda news website which has published photos of legal documents that prove Awwad's valid residency in Jordan has also quoted his family and friends saying that he had applied for asylum in France twice but was never granted it.
3" It seems that the Jordanian intelligence is working and responding to the demands of the Assad regime?!
— Fared Al Mahlool (@FARED_ALHOR) November 18, 2021
Syria is not safe
Shame on you, Jordan
The investigation by Alqabda expressed fears that the arrest of Ibrahim Awwad is a result of warming ties between the government of Jordan and Syria in recent months, which could mean that the government of Jordan is responding to requests by the Syrian or the Russian governments to help them silence and persecute pro-revolution Syrian journalists and activists living in Jordan.
6" Important update: News I also got from Jordan, the Jordanian authorities are informing several journalists opposed to the Assad regime in order to leave Jordan
— Fared Al Mahlool (@FARED_ALHOR) November 18, 2021
Besides demanding the immediate release of Ibrahim Awwad, many Jordanian and Syrian journalists expressed their fears that Ibrahim Awwad might be facing deportation to Syria, which will not be a safe place for him and other anti-Assad activists.
Reporters Without Borders organization has also called on Jordanian authorities to release Ibrahim Awwad and ensure the safety of Syrian journalists in Jordan.
Written by Riham Darwish
