Given the events of the last 24 hours: UN confirms 'massacre' of children in Houla and that the Russian government continues to support the al-Assad government politically and militarily through arms shipments: So why anyone outside of Syria is surprised that an incident such as this has taken place is beyond me.
Even with Syrians risking their lives to get the story out the worlds governments have done nothing but allow the Syrian government to play for time and continue its assault on the opposition.
Mohammed Abdel-Mawla al-Hariri is a Syrian social media activist who, like many others before him, gave an interview to Al Jazeera's Arabic news channel to denounce the al-Assad regime. But the interview looks set to be his last. Shortly after giving it, he was reportedly taken from his home, tortured and charged with 'high treason and contacts with foreign parties'. The Syrian government allegedly sentenced him to death.
This case is significant because of the chilling effect it may have on opponents of the government and its potential impact on the flow of information coming out of the country. Around the same time, Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, spoke to a Russian TV channel and conceded that his government lost the media war the day the uprising began. In this week's News Divide, we look at the case of a Syrian activist and what the consequences will be for news coverage on Syria.
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