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00:00:00The real estate departments are asked to deliver a document
00:00:03of the floor or a document of the floor so that it can be electronic.
00:00:07How prepared are the cadres for this matter?
00:00:10became their profession, The cadres, let's because they were working with say, are prepared in a very simple way. We are talking
00:00:14about infrastructure, as in infrastructure, as IT infrastructure, and we are talking about
00:00:18training and technical qualifications of the cadres.
00:00:22Therefore, we are focusing on two aspects in this
00:00:24the efforts of the victims from project: not only renovating the infrastructure, but also training and qualifying
00:00:27the cadres, which is an essential part of this project. Um, okay,
00:00:31how will digitization
00:00:37and we file lawsuits against them and despite that, he was sniped preserve the rights of the Syrian citizen? This is the goal, meaning the electronic real estate registry project in general has two goals. The first
00:00:40one is to protect property rights
00:00:43and citizens' rights. The other is to simplify
00:00:48much as possible to increase this the procedures for real estate services for citizens. So, from two sides, we are
00:00:52trying to work on this matter. How will citizens' rights be preserved? In the end,
00:00:57a side passage to restore all the documents you have, some of them are
00:01:00damaged. So, how can I get these damaged documents? In the end, the documents or
00:01:04papers are linked to each other. For example, the real estate page might be damaged,
00:01:07but the contract exists. Therefore, I can obtain information
00:01:11from the Ministry of Defense, and add it to another place. It is possible that the contract is damaged and the real estate
00:01:15page exists. So, through the archiving process, through having
00:01:18a central data, through this system being able
00:01:22to provide me with reports through OCRs, AI agents, the functions available in this system,
00:01:26that clarify the history of this property, clarify
00:01:30the owners of this property, clarify people's rights in this property. So, I have taken
00:01:33a very big step. Now you will ask me, will all documents or
00:01:37the archiving process preserve the rights of everyone? No, in the first
00:01:42violations are not repeated in stage, we will not be able to preserve the rights of everyone, but because there will be no digitization for everyone, even if
00:01:46Regarding this file, I am pleased to have with us here in the you digitize everything, you have missing documents, you have documents with certain problems.
00:01:49I mean, you saw that we have areas in Syria that went through
00:01:53Fadel. So, this several eras: the SDF era, the ISIS era, the era of the defunct regime,
00:01:56several eras, and these every single one of these cases had
00:02:01the specialists with us in the very great things. So, we are
00:02:05followed a systematic policy of in a state of electronic digitization, 80 to 90% of these documents, we
00:02:09ensured that they are
00:02:12number of and chemical weapons, but he does not fully digitized.
00:02:12In fact, on this We ensured the preservation of these documents. Now, there are 10% with certain
00:02:16cases. Of course, there are certain cases, and these cases are dealt with through the real estate
00:02:20judiciary, through the civil judiciary, and so on.
00:02:21segment of Transfer of ownership will also be done through this
00:02:25platform, meaning buying
00:02:28society's ability. Why this and selling and transferring ownership. No, this process is the first step. The final step you are talking about is
00:02:31the electronic real estate registry process or automated
00:02:34real estate services. No, in the first stage, you
00:02:37500 media need data input. You get the data input through real estate archiving,
00:02:40archiving and digitization. In the next stage, you enter the stage of
00:02:44automation. So, we reach
00:02:48a product that we call, we reach the stage of transferring
00:02:51ownership through an electronic
00:02:53thankfully, and I also thank you for application or through a web application. When we talk about the nature
00:02:56of cooperation with the US Department of State, will it be limited to
00:03:01by those concerned with this financial support, or will there be technical support? Certainly, today, when we talk about
00:03:05what we talked about, there are two main aspects to the project: training and qualifying cadres. This
00:03:09will be technical support for the cadres working with us.
00:03:12Also, our colleagues at Creative
00:03:16and in partnership with the US Department of
00:03:18State are even trying to provide us with experts, trying to provide
00:03:22us with experiences
00:03:27society does not similar to those in successful countries. We are always
00:03:29looking for a benchmark to build a successful experience for us, which saves
00:03:35areas in the us time
00:03:36not after this project. We reiterate that this and we don't have to reinvent the wheel. So, there is technical support, there is support that is not limited to financial
00:03:40support. Okay, so
00:03:44that these journalists also speaking about this project,
00:03:47they were uploaded to and you said that it needs time, how will
00:03:50this project be followed up during its implementation
00:03:53phases? Well, follow-up has two aspects.
00:03:57The first aspect is follow-up by the Ministry of Local Administration on the implementation
00:04:01process. Of course, when
00:04:04or any type of we built the proposal in coordination with Creative
00:04:07company, we
00:04:10want, for example, in already had a strategic plan for digital transformation regarding the real estate
00:04:12sector. This file
00:04:15Day to End Impunity is followed up very
00:04:18closely by the professors in the administration at the Ministry of Local Administration.
00:04:21This is at the local administration level. I personally
00:04:24have the executive management of the project
00:04:26have entered, even if they are not under me, so we are following this matter
00:04:32step by step. Also, the
00:04:34colleagues
00:04:36who are
00:04:39of soil that supporting this file, Creative
00:04:42Certainly, I mean, on such company, are also following up with us on this file so that we can try our best to make the project succeed 100%.
00:04:46there are standards for following To be honest, it is not of that on society. And at this point, what is a complex
00:04:48project; it is what we call simple
00:04:50and we specifically mention journalists on this yet difficult. It is not a complex project, but it requires high precision in implementation. Well, since
00:04:54you are the implementer, what are the obstacles that might stand in the way of this project
00:04:58or make the stages a bit difficult? We have two main obstacles.
00:05:01The first obstacle is the sanctions
00:05:05file on Syria. Today, we are requesting very high technology. We are requesting data
00:05:08centers that contain
00:05:11Impunity for Crimes GPUs, processors for
00:05:14AI. The real estate registry file requires OCRs. OCRs are the AI agents
00:05:18that read
00:05:20documents after the scanning process. So, you don't have to take
00:05:24time to transcribe these documents and so on. So, this
00:05:27matter is difficult. It has a big challenge,
00:05:30but we are trying to solve it in coordination with Creative company and the US Department of
00:05:34State so that we can import these equipment as soon as
00:05:38possible. The second challenge is the challenge of technical awareness or digital
00:05:41awareness. Most of the existing cadres or
00:05:44those present in our institutions currently,
00:05:47due to the regime's isolation and its closure
00:05:51in the previous
00:05:54phase, prevented technology from reaching the world to a great
00:05:57extent. So, today we are trying as
00:06:01awareness, trying to qualify and train the cadres as much
00:06:04as possible. You have digital security awareness, you have awareness
00:06:08of computer software, we have awareness that automation and digitization are
00:06:12not about getting rid of employees, but rather about simplifying procedures
00:06:15and facilitating access to services for citizens. So, this awareness
00:06:19is a very big challenge. Also, let's not dwell on this topic.
00:06:22What are the challenges regarding infrastructure? We are talking about the internet,
00:06:26we are talking about electricity, and also what about cybersecurity
00:06:30and protecting this data?
00:06:33I mean, it could be, for example,
00:06:37in one way or another, we are talking about the next stage,
00:06:40the theft of an entire property,
00:06:44targeting data internally or externally. Right, exactly. Have you put in place
00:06:47solutions for this matter or scenarios? Certainly, certainly.
00:06:50Well, let me just give you very
00:06:54important information. Today, when we are building a data center, when we are
00:06:57building or
00:07:01attracting certain types of equipment, there is a process that
00:07:04is being carried out in coordination with several parties in the Syrian government, including
00:07:08our colleagues in the Ministry of Communications, including our colleagues in the Ministry of Interior, including
00:07:13ministry, and also experts and consultants concerned with the issue of digital
00:07:17information security. Also, we have precautions that we take into
00:07:21account. The archiving system in the first stage
00:07:24should be isolated. It should not be online for all
00:07:28citizens. We have something in Syria called the PDN or the secure network, meaning
00:07:31we call it the private internet of Syria or the local network of Syria.
00:07:35So, this system, in the first stage, is only accessible
00:07:39with specific permissions for the specialized employees in the data
00:07:42entry process. When I want to launch an electronic
00:07:46service later for citizens online,
00:07:49there will definitely be
00:07:52certain limitations and permissions for accessing this database and dealing with this
00:07:56data. This is one thing. The other thing is when we say we want to build a central
00:08:00data center, the first
00:08:04thing for building a central data center is to limit
00:08:06access
00:08:09to this data center or to this data warehouse
00:08:14access. I mean, today you have scattered data. You have data in Aleppo, you have
00:08:18data in Damascus, you have data in Hama, etc. When we say
00:08:21central data center, then you have a central data
00:08:25warehouse, and consequently, you have central and very limited
00:08:28access to this data center. Okay, final question: Can
00:08:31any citizen then
00:08:35access any property even if it's not
00:08:38theirs? And therefore, I mean, to inspect it, for example,
00:08:44a statement of the property's condition? Certainly, but
00:08:49project is the next stage after the next stage.
00:08:52Then you will have, you will have, you will have access
00:08:55to data divided into several sections, including your personal data and your
00:08:59private properties. No one can access them but you. And other data is
00:09:02already available to everyone to access
00:09:06properties. Thank you very much for all these clarifications and for your presence with us here,
00:09:09Mr. Ahmed Ali, Director of Digital Transformation at the Ministry of Local
00:09:13Administration. Thank you. Thank you. Thank
00:09:15you very
00:09:19much.
00:09:24The annual commemoration of the International
00:09:28for Crimes Committed Against Journalists is a prominent
00:09:31station to review and open the files of the widespread
00:09:35and systematic targeting that Syrian journalists were subjected to
00:09:38at the hands of the defunct regime's apparatus, from killings and enforced disappearances
00:09:42to the attempt to break this story.
00:09:46Statistics from the Syrian Network for Human Rights revealed
00:09:50the documentation of the martyrdom of
00:09:54559
00:09:56journalists and media workers, including
00:09:5948 who died under torture, in addition to the registration
00:10:03of 1358
00:10:06cases of arrest or abduction, and 392
00:10:10people are still among the forcibly
00:10:13disappeared, including female journalists
00:10:17and foreigners.
00:10:21Coinciding with the International Day to End
00:10:24Committed Against Journalists, human rights
00:10:27and professional organizations in Syria highlighted the heavy
00:10:30legacy of systematic violations that the
00:10:34media sector was subjected to at the hands of the defunct regime's forces since
00:10:372011 until the fall of the regime in December
00:10:402024. Statistics from
00:10:43the Syrian Network for Human Rights revealed the documentation
00:10:47of the killing of 559
00:10:50journalists and media workers, including 48
00:10:54who died under torture, in addition to the registration
00:10:56of 1358
00:10:59cases of arrest or abduction, and 322
00:11:02people are still among the forcibly disappeared,
00:11:05including female journalists and foreigners. The director
00:11:09of the Network, Fadel Abdul Ghani, confirmed that these widespread attacks
00:11:13amount to war crimes against humanity, explaining that the Network's
00:11:16data has been transformed into criminal evidence to determine
00:11:20responsibilities before national and international justice.
00:11:23For her part, lawyer Rahad Abdoush, a member of the Central
00:11:26Bar Association, stated that the violations during the defunct regime's era
00:11:30were based on legislative shortcomings and a method of suppressing
00:11:33freedom of expression, confirming that the association fully
00:11:36supports journalists and victims' families legally, calling on
00:11:40Arab journalistic bodies to reveal
00:11:43the fate of the forcibly disappeared. As for today, with Syria entering
00:11:47the post-liberation phase, the need arises to reveal
00:11:51the fate of the missing and forcibly disappeared, in addition to establishing
00:11:55a path for transitional justice that guarantees
00:11:57uncovering the truth and redressing victims and their families,
00:12:00and establishes a safe and independent media environment
00:12:04that ensures that those
00:12:07the future.
00:12:11studio Dr. Fadel Abdul Ghani, Director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights.
00:12:15Welcome, Dr.
00:12:18day is the annual commemoration of the International Day to End
00:12:21Impunity for Crimes Committed Against Journalists. Talk about how
00:12:25the regime initially used or
00:12:30revenge against journalists who were conveying the truth during
00:12:34the Syrian Revolution.
00:12:37day, we must recall, primarily, the sacrifices
00:12:40of journalists and citizen journalists in Syria.
00:12:44I can tell you that a large
00:12:46Syrians may not be fully aware of the extent
00:12:50of the sacrifices. I mean, these statistics are very
00:12:53large and are considered among the highest indicators in the world.
00:12:56The number of victims that the report presented, the number that
00:13:00we still have, even now,
00:13:02professionals, of course, varied between
00:13:06photographers, writers, bloggers,
00:13:09and journalists, and so on, and correspondents, and their
00:13:13fate is still among the forcibly disappeared. So, the targeting against
00:13:16media professionals was widespread, deliberate killing, and we
00:13:20talked in the data that we recorded about sniping operations. I mean, the targeting
00:13:23of the media professional because he is a media professional,
00:13:26because of his profession, and not
00:13:30and even when we interviewed even
00:13:33detainees who were not media professionals, they would ask them who is the media professional,
00:13:37who is, I mean, who is filming, who is reporting the news?
00:13:41And therefore, this was a deliberate and systematic policy
00:13:43of targeting these media professionals. And the indicators of killing,
00:13:47and also those who died under torture, among them
00:13:5148 died under torture, and besides the 500, the 500 were also
00:13:54killed. And as we mentioned in the file of the missing, and we repeated this,
00:13:57or the forcibly disappeared, repeatedly, that whoever did not come out is
00:14:01considered among the victims, but he remains forcibly disappeared
00:14:05also until now, until his fate is revealed. So, these are
00:14:08multiple violations against media professionals. But the question is, why
00:14:11do we give this distinction to media professionals?
00:14:15This is also a very important point, because the journalist
00:14:18and media professional was the primary source of news to society.
00:14:22The Assad regime, by targeting these people, was cutting off news
00:14:26from society and from the world. Even we, in the Syrian Network
00:14:29for Human Rights, have an excellent,
00:14:32more than excellent, relationship with hundreds of media activists, and they were our primary
00:14:36source. And that's why we always acknowledge and thank
00:14:39them, and without their cooperation, we would not have been able to collect a large
00:14:42amount of data and information. That's why the Assad regime's targeting
00:14:46was deliberate and systematic. It was a state policy
00:14:49against them. And that's why we described these crimes and violations as
00:14:53war crimes and crimes against humanity. Of course, this is part of the broader targeting of civilians, of all
00:14:57Syrians, but there was a specific focus and distinction,
00:15:00and journalists were in the front lines. I mean, here, if they performed
00:15:03their duty correctly, then they are among the biggest advocates for human
00:15:07rights, but of course,
00:15:11this. We can talk about this another time, and this is what
00:15:14journalists and media professionals are trained on. But basically,
00:15:17I can say that a large segment of
00:15:21society was not aware of what these journalists
00:15:25presented, nor were they informed. So, I thank you for even the idea of the citizen
00:15:28journalist. The Syrian revolution
00:15:31produced these media professionals who are citizen journalists, meaning
00:15:35that he is not necessarily a graduate of a media
00:15:38or journalism college or anything like that, for four years. No, some of them
00:15:42practiced journalistic work, and their profession
00:15:48and therefore this description applies to him, and also the
00:15:51protection applies to him, which distinguishes him, that he
00:15:55is a civilian, he can even cover battles, etc., and he should not
00:15:58be targeted because his
00:16:01job is only to report what happens. He
00:16:04often does not take a stance, but he
00:16:07covers these events. But
00:16:11and targeted just for this reporting. Yes.
00:16:13And also, hundreds or dozens died
00:16:17under torture. I mean, entering
00:16:20the prisons of the defunct regime carrying just a camera means
00:16:24a death sentence for you. Here, you talked about
00:16:27many important things, perhaps the most important
00:16:30of which is that the matter was targeted, sorry,
00:16:33it was systematic and deliberate by the defunct regime,
00:16:36and its first enemy was the journalist and the one who conveyed the truth. Today, the importance of this day,
00:16:40the International Day to End Impunity, especially since the victims
00:16:44of the regime among journalists were not only Syrians but of several nationalities.
00:16:47We are talking about Colvin, for example. Yes, Marie Colvin, yes. I mean,
00:16:51Mr. Ammar, as you mentioned, it is very important
00:16:54that, I mean, whoever carried a camera
00:16:57or was responsible for a news network, I mean,
00:17:00I have many, many cases, and they are painful, and,
00:17:03I mean, perhaps
00:17:07large sums were paid. If they had been paid to someone else,
00:17:11it would have been possible to release this person. I tell you, but
00:17:14because he is a journalist, because of that, the Assad regime
00:17:17took greater revenge on him. Now, why is this very dangerous? What
00:17:21did we do? What you are talking about, even foreign journalists
00:17:25and even local journalists, this undermined society's ability to know
00:17:28the truth. And that's why you find, and we are finding, that there is
00:17:32a very big gap after the liberation, after the fall of the Assad regime, that a large
00:17:35part of society does not know
00:17:37what a part of society went through in terms of suffering
00:17:41and in these details. He generally
00:17:44knows that there was bombing, barrel bombs,
00:17:48know the huge amount of details. Why this
00:17:51suffering? Why this resentment against the Assad regime and against what it did in terms of
00:17:55violations, and against who was involved in these violations? And we will talk
00:17:59about accountability and holding accountable those who committed these crimes against
00:18:02journalists. But this undermined
00:18:05deliberate systematic targeting? It was also to
00:18:09make them an example so that others would be deterred from
00:18:12joining journalistic activity.
00:18:15And in fact, in one way or another, this policy, we can say,
00:18:19succeeded in 2012 and 2013,
00:18:22as I recall, that we at the beginning of the Syrian Revolution
00:18:26and citizen journalists, hundreds joined because they
00:18:29considered this to be part of the revolution itself, conveying the voice
00:18:33of the revolution, its peacefulness, its slogans to the whole world, and also
00:18:36the violations of the Assad regime. So, he considered it part of
00:18:40the identity of the revolution and part of its rituals and part of
00:18:44its practices.
00:18:46Just as another group turned towards, for example, military
00:18:50action, there was a group that turned towards media work and considered
00:18:54this to be a fundamental pillar of the Syrian Revolution. But the Assad
00:18:57regime targeted them, but this
00:19:00was to prevent others from joining. So, he was
00:19:03harsher in his treatment of them and in the violations against them.
00:19:07So, we were always, when
00:19:10we asked other detainees, this one was tortured more,
00:19:13and that's why this number was killed under torture,
00:19:17and another 500 disappeared, these were also tortured and died,
00:19:20but these and these are the ones we were able to, I mean, we
00:19:24have 550, I mean, or almost 600 who died under torture, but we
00:19:28confirmed these, and the families confirmed them, so we said these
00:19:31are separated from those, but those also died under torture, the 500 disappeared, all
00:19:35tortured and died under torture as well, and this is a terrifying number at a global level,
00:19:39because as I mentioned, journalists have additional
00:19:42protection. I mean, even now, when security forces
00:19:47advanced countries, in legal procedures, when they want
00:19:51to search a person, it's different from when they want to search a journalist's office. He has
00:19:54a distinction here, and he also has source
00:19:58protection. You cannot ask a journalist about his source. This is forbidden
00:20:01by law. So, why do you give him this distinction? Because he has
00:20:05a role in
00:20:07uncovering the truth, in informing society about it. And we, the victims,
00:20:11are equal in being killed. We are not differentiating them, the right to life, but
00:20:15we distinguish here the journalist's mission and the impact
00:20:20the legal path to hold accountable those involved in committing crimes
00:20:24against journalists, and what are the judicial frameworks that are relied
00:20:28upon? Well, I mean, Ms. Nadia, I call
00:20:31for there to be,
00:20:34just as we have files
00:20:38that are being built using certain types of weapons
00:20:41against, for example, those involved in chemical weapons, you saw that
00:20:44some of them so I
00:20:47there are those who were involved in violations under
00:20:50torture,
00:20:52in killing journalists under torture, including foreign journalists, we don't want to separate them
00:20:58Syrian journalists side by side, shoulder to shoulder,
00:21:01and contributed to conveying what happened and the violations of the Assad regime
00:21:05to the world. And also, I mean, we
00:21:08mourn them on this day and appreciate their efforts with all
00:21:11reverence and respect, just as we appreciate
00:21:14the journalistic activists. And therefore,
00:21:17the path is that we see the branches and also
00:21:21the individuals involved, the individuals who were violating the rights of journalists,
00:21:27announce this matter, that this is because he committed these violations,
00:21:30and we link them, I mean, we rely on human rights documentation as
00:21:34a starting point, and we can identify
00:21:37the security branches where, for example, deaths under torture occurred
00:21:41or where disappearances occurred during that period.
00:21:44So, we can do that, and therefore we can
00:21:47know who was responsible for that branch
00:21:51or who was responsible for torture or investigation in that branch. So, we can
00:21:55obtain and we can also build lawsuits against him. I mean,
00:21:59I say that in the transitional period, we need to build lawsuits
00:22:02against those who committed violations against
00:22:06certain categories of revolutionaries, and foremost among them are journalists. And we say
00:22:10that to current journalists, that this
00:22:12is a sacrifice for your other colleagues who sacrificed, so this
00:22:16cause is for their benefit because causes, I mean, must
00:22:20have their effect, their effect in terms of alleviating societal tension and so
00:22:23on, and this is a form of moral compensation. So, this gives
00:22:27symbolism as well. I mean, highlighting the violations that
00:22:30occurred against these people and revealing the fate of the missing is part of uncovering
00:22:34the truth and revealing the harm. But I am with giving distinction in favor
00:22:38of journalists again within the path of transitional justice because of the heroic role
00:22:42they played for society, and they were in the front lines. So, I am with giving
00:22:45distinction in the path of transitional justice in favor
00:22:49of journalists in their different paths of accountability and commemoration
00:22:52in certain streets. There are heroic journalists who presented
00:22:56and were killed, and we have a very large number of them who were filming
00:23:00their last shot. A large
00:23:02them, I mean, we have about seven or eight
00:23:06cases, as I recall, that
00:23:08this was the last shot. Yes, I mean, this should be, yes,
00:23:12he was martyred after that in a Russian shelling or something
00:23:15else. So, he was filming his last shot in his life. So, therefore,
00:23:19these deserve to be commemorated, which is part of the transitional justice path.
00:23:23We distinguish in favor of journalists because of the heroic role they played.
00:23:27Steps were taken on this day, I mean, you, in the Syrian Network for Human
00:23:30Rights, also with the Committee for the Missing, has this matter been discussed, since you
00:23:34were just raising it? I mean, we, in the Syrian Network for Human Rights, always
00:23:38on this day, and you saw, I mean, SANA Syrian News Agency published it,
00:23:43the coverage. We always try to commemorate this day by
00:23:46highlighting how we prevent impunity
00:23:50through freedom of the press, freedom of media, and also
00:23:54we remember the sacrifices of our
00:23:58journalist colleagues who, I mean,
00:23:59brought us to this time. And also,
00:24:03we remember that we need institutional reform in order to
00:24:07prevent violations from recurring and to prevent them, and so on. So, this is what
00:24:10we issued in this context, because I reiterate
00:24:14and emphasize that a large part of
00:24:17know the sacrifices that were made
00:24:20to preserve the memory of the Syrian Revolution. I mean, without preserving
00:24:24the memory, we cannot establish a path for transitional justice, nor can we even
00:24:27build cases. I mean, the cases now are based largely
00:24:31on photos and videos
00:24:34sent us, or
00:24:37YouTube or so on, or on their pages, and we, I mean,
00:24:40we kept millions of photos
00:24:43and videos and saved them, and of course, we always attribute them to this person
00:24:47even in the cases that we undertake.
00:24:50We attribute them as taken from a YouTube channel, of course, some of them were martyred, or even from
00:24:53his Facebook page, we attribute them, so we
00:24:56saved them even because some pages disappeared or YouTube deleted
00:25:00channels, so we have millions of photos and videos
00:25:03that we archived, but, I mean, because of what
00:25:07they did, they are now entering, or not entering,
00:25:10they have even entered into previous evidence in Europe. These
00:25:13documentations that they carried out
00:25:16much praised for these efforts. We do not
00:25:20have a report at the end of it to praise these efforts, and this day is the day
00:25:24we commemorate this story from this topic. So, this
00:25:28statement falls within this framework.
00:25:32a day, I mean, we say that
00:25:35we ask for mercy for our martyrs, the martyrs of the Syrian Revolution, all of them,
00:25:40day, who paved the way for us, and we hope that these
00:25:44incidents will not be repeated in our country again. I want to thank
00:25:48you very much, Dr. Fadel.
00:26:03The Raqqa Media Directorate announced the closure of the main road connecting
00:26:06the governorates of Raqqa and Deir Ezzor at the
00:26:09Khneifis Bridge in the Ma'dan area due to
00:26:12floods. The Syrian Public Establishment for Building and Construction continues
00:26:15its operations to open a side passage in the Ma'dan area to reopen
00:26:19the Raqqa-Deir Ezzor road. After the floods and heavy
00:26:23rains,
00:26:26roads were swept away by floodwaters, and homes were
00:26:29submerged by floods. Rescue teams continue
00:26:32their search for those who have been missing.
00:26:36Raqqa Governorate is facing the consequences
00:26:39of devastating floods that have caused widespread damage
00:26:43and threatened the safety of civilians.
00:26:46The floods caused the main road connecting Raqqa
00:26:49and Deir Ezzor at the Khunafis Bridge
00:26:52in Maadan to be cut off. Meanwhile, the Syrian Establishment
00:26:55for Construction and Building is working to open
00:27:00traffic on the road. Search operations
00:27:03for the missing in the floodwaters and the Euphrates Lake,
00:27:07with the participation of Civil Defense teams, naval
00:27:10forces, and frogmen
00:27:13are still ongoing. The sweeping
00:27:16operation in the vicinity of Al-Tabaqa resulted
00:27:20in the recovery of the body of young Ismail Ahmed Al-Shihab.
00:27:23Efforts are continuing to reach other missing
00:27:26persons who were swept away by the water from the Al-Salmani Bridge
00:27:30area. On the level of field response,
00:27:33emergency and disaster management teams
00:27:36carried out more than 110
00:27:38responses and dealt with more than 200
00:27:42reports within one hour, which included
00:27:45rescue, evacuation, water pumping, and opening
00:27:48damaged roads. The risks do not stop at the limits
00:27:52of floods, as the Civil Defense warned of the possibility
00:27:55of mines and war remnants being swept
00:27:59by the floods into areas that were relatively
00:28:02safe, urging civilians not to approach
00:28:05suspicious objects or touch
00:28:08them and to report them immediately.
00:28:11Between roads that are still cut off and search
00:28:15operations that have not yet ended, the priority
00:28:18remains to contain the repercussions of the floods and protect
00:28:21civilians at a time when the risks of
00:28:25floods go beyond what the water has left
00:28:28to threats that may remain even after
00:28:31their recession.
00:28:33With us,
00:28:36dear viewers, is Mr. Yousef Azzo, Head of Field Operations
00:28:39Department at the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster
00:28:43Management, joining us from Damascus. Welcome, Mr. Yousef, to the Syrian
00:28:46News Channel. I would like to ask you first
00:28:50if there are any warnings we should address
00:28:54to our people who live near these
00:28:56areas. We are talking about the repercussions
00:29:00of the floods and the closure and interruption of the general
00:29:04road that connects the two governorates of Raqqa and Deir Ezzor at
00:29:08Khunafis. May God bless you and your
00:29:12times. Of course, as civil defense teams,
00:29:15we have warnings that we issue initially before
00:29:19any potential danger. These
00:29:22warnings stipulate adherence
00:29:26to safety and security rules, especially now after
00:29:30the formation of floods due to heavy rainfall in the
00:29:32eastern regions, in addition to many
00:29:37Syrian governorates. But I specifically mention
00:29:40the eastern regions, Deir Ezzor and Raqqa, where strong floods
00:29:44may form that could carry with them
00:29:48some mines from mine-contaminated areas
00:29:52and war remnants located in certain areas
00:29:55that have moved to safe areas. So do not approach these
00:29:59objects. They could be
00:30:03booby-trapped mines,
00:30:06mines or war remnants.
00:30:10The second point is adherence to safety and security rules
00:30:13regarding warnings for weather
00:30:17conditions or any danger that may occur
00:30:21due to storms or winds
00:30:25resulting from heavy rainfall that forms floods
00:30:28and leads to the collapse of some infrastructure that is
00:30:32already damaged and very fragile. I specifically
00:30:35mention the Badia region, which has
00:30:38a type
00:30:41does not absorb water, leading to the formation
00:30:44of very strong floods. As for some other
00:30:47areas, today we are talking about the eastern region, so the risk
00:30:51of floods forming is greater than in areas where
00:30:54the soil has the ability
00:30:58to absorb water.