Washington, D.C. – As the armed conflict in Syria continues to escalate, the brave men and women providing news reports from that region are increasingly in danger. Many have been detained or arrested while covering the unrest and some have been wounded or killed. Recognizing the essential service these reporters provide to the rest of the world at great personal risk, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), along with Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have introduced a resolution in the Senate condemning the killing of journalists in Syria and calling on the government to open the country up to independent and foreign news media and end its media blackout.
“The tragic deaths of Marie Colvin and her other brave colleagues are a sad reminder of the sacrifices war journalists make to bring us the truth about what is happening in the world,” said Senator Gillibrand. “We stand united in condemning the unspeakable violence committed by the Syrian regime. At a time when the world urgently needs information on the crisis in Syria, the government must open its borders to allow reporters to shine a light on the atrocities of war.”
Since the start of the conflict in Syria, at least nine members of the media have been killed covering the uprising in Syria. Two of them were killed when their makeshift press center was destroyed by shelling by the Syrian government. The Syrian government has denied entry to foreign journalists. They have detained, beaten, tortured and killed members of the media to keep the free flow of information from being reported to the outside world.