.@pressemblem We urge you to take immediate action against the war crimes of Syrian state-backed jihadis using “PRESS” vests to feign protected status while carrying out atrocities against Druze civilians. This constitutes perfidy as prohibited under the Geneva Conventions. https://t.co/JHzJLT5Wb8
— UN Watch (@UNWatch) July 20, 2025
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — A leading international association of journalists, the Press Emblem Campaign, has condemned the use of press vests by regime-backed jihadists committing war crimes against the Druze minority in southern Syria.
Referring to a widely circulated video of Islamist fighters vandalizing Druze property and desecrating religious images in the Suwayda area, the Press Emblem Campaign stated that it “condemns the use of the ‘Press’ symbol by Islamist fighters in the fighting in southern Syria.”
Based in Geneva, the Press Emblem Campaign is an international group of journalists that aims at strengthening the legal protection and safety of journalists in zones of conflict. Accredited as a non-governmental organization by the United Nations, the Press Emblem Campaign is supported by 50 NGOs and journalists’ associations from around the world.
The video of the Jihadi gunman was just one of numerous accounts of Syrian state-backed violence against the Druze minority in the south of the country over the last week, with hundreds of civilians killed amidst reports of gross human rights violations.
“We welcome the strong condemnation by the Press Emblem Campaign,” said Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of Swiss human rights group UN Watch, which led the appeal for the journalists to speak out.
“The abuse of press insignia by Islamist gunmen — in order to feign protected status while committing atrocities against Druze civilians — constitutes a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.”
“This criminal abuse of protective emblems erodes trust in the press, endangers real reporters, and violates international law.”
“We urge UN Secretary-General Guterres and the Human Rights Council to condemn the Syrian Jihadi massacre of the Druze, and to denounce these acts of perfidy that endanger journalists. Their silence as Druze are slaughtered is complicity.”
