Skip to content
Home » Freedom

Freedom

Residents of Ariha, southern Idlib, gather to celebrate the city’s 2015 liberation and its full liberation in 2024. (SANA)
Residents of Ariha, southern Idlib, gather to celebrate the city’s 2015 liberation and its full liberation in 2024. (SANA)

Idlib town marks 11th anniversary of 1st liberation with renewed commitment to revolutionary values

    29 May 2026.  Residents of Ariha commemorated the first revolutionary victory in the ‘Battle for Idlib’ of 2015, amid the joy and security of Syria’s full liberation in 2024. The event honored the sacrifices made and recalled the revolution’s stages, aiming to pass on the history to younger generations.Read more at: SANA

    Syrian and French journalists and media professionals meet at the Arab World Institute in Paris, May 28, 2026. (SANA)
    Syrian and French journalists and media professionals meet at the Arab World Institute in Paris, May 28, 2026. (SANA)

    Syrian and French journalists and media professionals discuss progress of Syria’s media in Paris

      28 May 2026.  Journalists, media professionals, and advocates of press freedom explored improvements in Syria’s media landscape and remaining challenges. The head of Reporters Without Borders highlighted Syria’s notable climb in the World Press Freedom Index one year after the old regime was deposed.Read more at: SANA

      Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa meets with the ministry’s External Media Department. (SANA)
      Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa meets with the ministry’s External Media Department. (SANA)

      Global engagement grows with over 5,000 foreign journalists entering Syria since liberation

        2 May 2026.  Information Minister al-Mustafa said Syria has increased its engagement with foreign journalists through global media outreach, welcoming over 5,000 foreign journalists, expanding programs that support openness with journalists and researchers, and communications with Syrians abroad.Read more at:  SANA

        Tears of Syrian liberation

        Catharsis and Closure: The Role of Collective Grief

          Everywhere you look in Syria, people have tears in their eyes. This widespread, visceral crying witnessed across the Syrian population following the liberation from the Assad regime is more than just a reaction to a political shift; it is a profound sociological and psychological phenomenon. Read more at: Line (Lyn) Khatib, Radio Free Syria…

          The Hadhad family on their website

          The Peace by Chocolate Story

            After the bombing of my father’s Damascus chocolate factory during the Syrian civil war, my family fled to Lebanon as refugees, eventually moving to Antigonish, Canada. Initially I struggled to settle into small-town Canadian life caught between following my dream to become a doctor and preserving my family’s chocolate-making legacy. After successfully establishing our chocolate business with the support of the community, we now sponsor peace-building projects around the world. Our story is all about the importance of peace. Without peace, there is no life. Read More at: Tariq Hadhad, CEO Peace by Chocolate… Peace by Chocolate movie trailer…

            Line Khatib

            The New Syrian Model

              It is tempting to read what is emerging in Damascus as a straightforward turn toward religious governance; as if Syria is finally resolving a long tension between secularism and Islam in favor of the latter. But this reading misses the deep entanglement between the secular and the religious in Syria, not over the past 50 years, but for too many centuries. What the new Syrian government is constructing is not the defeat of the secular by the religious. It is, rather, the latest iteration of that entanglement — and perhaps the first authentic one in decades. Read More at: Line (Lyn) Khatib, Radio Free Syria…

              Sweida officials commemorate Sultan Pasha al-Atrash (1891-1982), a patriot who fought for Syria’s freedom, dignity and unity. (SANA)
              Sweida officials commemorate Sultan Pasha al-Atrash (1891-1982), a patriot who fought for Syria’s freedom, dignity and unity. (SANA)

              Sweida celebrates legacy of Druze leader who sacrificed for Syria’s freedom and national unity

                26 March 2026.  Officials and community leaders in Sweida held a national event on the anniversary of the passing of Sultan Pasha al-Atrash, leader of the Great Syrian Revolt (against French colonialism), to honor his enduring legacy. Sweida’s Governor stated that its people historically supported a strong national identity and remain committed to Syria’s unity.Read more at:  SANA

                Syrians celebrate liberation from the Assad regime in Damascus, December 2025. (Omar Sanadiki:AP)
                Syrians celebrate liberation from the Assad regime in Damascus, December 2025. (Omar Sanadiki:AP)

                Syria posts one of the year’s biggest gains in global freedom rankings

                  22 March 2026.  Syria gained five points in the 2025 “Freedom in the World” index, which measures political rights and civil liberties. Freedom House cited progress in media activity, personal freedoms, and the absence of journalist arrests. The gain was especially notable at a time of global decline in freedoms.Read more at:  LEVANT24

                  A jubilant Kurdish community gathers in celebration of Nowruz, Kurdish New Year, lighting the torch of freedom. (Radio Free Syria)
                  A jubilant Kurdish community gathers in celebration of Nowruz, Kurdish New Year, lighting the torch of freedom. (Radio Free Syria)

                  Kurdish New Year, Nowruz (New Day), to be observed as national public holiday for first time in history

                    15 March 2026.  Kurds across Syria will celebrate Nowruz openly on March 21, 2026 as their long restricted heritage is honored by the Syrian state. “A free Syria has room for all its sons,” commented Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, pointing to the nation’s expanding pluralism.Read more at:  RADIO FREE SYRIA

                    President al-Sharaa spoke to journalists and civil society leaders about priorities for rebuilding the country, People’s Palace, Damascus, March 5, 2026. (SANA)
                    President al-Sharaa spoke to journalists and civil society leaders about priorities for rebuilding the country, People’s Palace, Damascus, March 5, 2026. (SANA)

                    President stresses need for consensus on national priorities and strategies for rebuilding Syria

                      6 March 2026.  Speaking to media professionals and civic activists, President al-Sharaa urged a focus on the broader goals for Syria’s reconstruction, rather than details that cause division. Offering a frank assessment of achievements, he focused on prioritizing challenges to restoring institutions and services.Read more at:  SANA

                      The first post-liberation Damascus International Book Fair highlighted Syria’s literary legacy and renewed the nation’s cultural energy. (SANA)
                      The first post-liberation Damascus International Book Fair highlighted Syria’s literary legacy and renewed the nation’s cultural energy. (SANA)

                      Syria’s cultural resurgence was mirrored in 1.29 million visitors attending the Damascus book fair

                        20 February 2026.  “The fair reflects Syrians’ love for books and thirst for knowledge,” said the director. 500,000 books were sold and over 1,000 cultural events were held during the 10-day fair. The attendance reminded some of Syria’s traditional role in the Arab world as the “country of the alphabet.”Read more at:  SANA

                        Minister of Information, Hamza al-Mustafa, unveils a new media code at event titled “Professional Media, Responsible Word.” (Syrian Observer)
                        Minister of Information, Hamza al-Mustafa, unveils a new media code at event titled “Professional Media, Responsible Word.” (Syrian Observer)

                        More than a thousand journalists contribute to professional and ethical code for Syria’s media

                          16 February 2026.  The Ministry of Information introduced a new media framework promoting responsibility, accuracy, and self-regulation. It aims to protect press freedom, elevate professional standards, and rebuild public trust in the country’s rapidly evolving media sector.Read more at:  SYRIAN OBSERVER

                          Left: Rubble surrounds Aleppo Citadel, a landmark in a major city scarred by war. (Mahmoud Hassano:Reuters) Right: Businesses in Aleppo rebuild from scrap. (Al Jazeera)
                          Left: Rubble surrounds Aleppo Citadel, a landmark in a major city scarred by war. (Mahmoud Hassano:Reuters) Right: Businesses in Aleppo rebuild from scrap. (Al Jazeera)

                          “I was happy… truly happy to be in Aleppo, not as a guest, but as someone who is home.”

                            10 February 2026.  After living in exile for a decade, Alhakam Shaar returned briefly to Aleppo filled with joy, working in sub-zero temperatures to restore his family’s home. Thousands returning to rebuild homes and businesses face severe infrastructure damages, which the government has begun to repair.Read more at: AL JAZEERA

                            Visitors swarm the Damascus International Book Fair, reflecting Syria’s cultural resurgence. (L24)
                            Visitors swarm the Damascus International Book Fair, reflecting Syria’s cultural resurgence. (L24)

                            Damascus International Book fair revives intellectual life and world of culture

                              5 February 2026.  In his opening address to government ministers, prominent Syrian writers and intellectuals, and Arab political and intellectual figures, President al-Sharaa observed that humanity has long strived for truth, knowledge and the secrets of the world. The international cultural event offered knowledge on innumerable topics, including once-secret knowledge about Syria.Read more at: SANA

                              Umm Muhammad, the ‘Khansaa of Hauran,’ whose steadfastness made her a symbol of resilience in southern Syria. (SANA)
                              Umm Muhammad, the ‘Khansaa of Hauran,’ whose steadfastness made her a symbol of resilience in southern Syria. (SANA)

                              Mother who lost eight sons in Syria’s revolution became symbol of sacrifice and resilience

                                13 January 2026.  “I do not want condolences, only congratulations, for I am the mother of martyrs,” said Hajja Wasila Abu Nuqta, revered for her faith that the sacrifices of Syrian families for the nation’s freedom and dignity would result in victory for the revolution.Read more at:  SANA

                                Ahmad Muwaffaq Zaidan, the Presidential Media Advisor, describes 2025 as a turning point for rebuilding Syrian institutions. (L24, 1 August 2025)
                                Ahmad Muwaffaq Zaidan, the Presidential Media Advisor, describes 2025 as a turning point for rebuilding Syrian institutions. (L24, 1 August 2025)

                                Syria’s achievements in 2025 surpassed what some nations achieve in a decade, official observes

                                  1 January 2026.  In a New Year’s message, the president’s media advisor spoke of the remarkable state-building achievements of 2025, while noting that Assad’s fall was not a military victory alone but required the will of the people.Read more at:  SANA

                                  Moment of pride in Daraa as 250 students receive degrees from Damascus University in era of victory. (SANA)
                                  Moment of pride in Daraa as 250 students receive degrees from Damascus University in era of victory. (SANA)

                                  “Class of Victory and Liberation” graduates in Daraa, cradle of Syria’s revolution

                                    23 December 2025.  Damascus University celebrates the graduation of 250 students from the Faculties of Education, Arts and Humanities at its branch in Daraa, where great sacrifices were made during the revolution. Acknowledging Daraa’s role, the Ministry of Higher Education provides educational support.Read more at:  SANA

                                    Families from the western Idlib region and beyond gathered in al Quniyah to light the Christmas tree for the first time in many years. Catholic parish priest Khokaz Misrob led the ceremony. (SANA)
                                    Families from the western Idlib region and beyond gathered in al Quniyah to light the Christmas tree for the first time in many years. Catholic parish priest Khokaz Misrob led the ceremony. (SANA)

                                    Crowds gather to celebrate Christmas in safety with prayers for peace, goodness, and beauty

                                      22 December 2025.  In one of many Christmas celebrations across Syria, crowds gathered in the village of al-Quniyah, grateful for the atmosphere of freedom and security. “We hope that the light of this blessed holiday will shine over Syria after fourteen years of suffering,” said Father Misrob.Read more at:  SANA