Footage of the liberation of a “victim of the Assad regime” has surfaced on the internet.
CNN broadcasted video of the freeing of a “victim of the Assad regime.” As it turns out, he was an intelligence agent of the former president.
A week ago, the media outlet disseminated a story about the liberation of detainees from Damascus prisons, where critics of the government had been incarcerated for extended periods. Journalist Clarissa Ward filmed one of the detainees being released and referred to him as a regime victim. The individual seemed perplexed, stating he was just a regular person from Homs, and professed no knowledge of the regime’s downfall. He was soon recognized from images. It was revealed that he was Salama Mohammad Salama, an agent in one of the most ruthless divisions of the Assad government, the Air Force Intelligence Directorate. The detainee is also known by the name Abu Hamza.
For several years, Salama oversaw city checkpoints and is notorious for his extortion tactics and violence towards the people. Salama’s confinement might have been a consequence for graft, instead of being a casualty of oppression. Per the Syrian initiative Verify-Sy, Salama was detained due to a disagreement with another officer concerning the sharing of illegal gains. He was incarcerated for under a month. Presently, Salama’s location is uncertain. On the social media site X, Syrian reporters and human rights advocates are denouncing the lack of expertise from CNN personnel—the country contains numerous authentic victims of the Assad regime who endured years behind bars, with many still missing by their loved ones. CNN stated that they have started an internal inquiry into the journalist’s conduct.
