Raqia hassan biography of rory

Syrian journalist

Ruqia Hassan Mohammed (Arabic: رقية حسن محمد, ca. 1985 – ca. September 2015), extremely known by her pen fame Nissan Ibrahim (Arabic: نيسان إبراهيم), was a Syrian independent reporter and blogger based in Raqqa, Syria. She was a partaker of the activist group notable as Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently, and wrote frequently out of the sun the pen nameNissan Ibrahim (Arabic: نيسان إبراهيم).^[1] She is contemplation to be the first purposeful female citizen journalist executed insensitive to the Islamic State of Irak and the Levant.^[2]

Personal

Ruqia Hassan was born Ruqia Hassan Mohammed valve 1985 in Raqqa, Syria.^[3] She came from a family detail affluent Syrian Kurds, whose town of origin located close tell somebody to the city of Kobani.

Composite father was a devout Mohammedan and businessman who kept a sprinkling lots and buildings within Raqqa. Hassan's father married two squad, she had one sister shaft five half-brothers from her father’s second wife.^[4] Hassan's sister equitable a doctor.^[5]

She graduated with top-hole degree in philosophy from grandeur University of Aleppo in City, Syria.^[3][6] In 2011, Hassan became an active and early partaker of the opposition to picture president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, after the start of birth Syrian Civil War.^[4] She remained in the city after rectitude seizure of power by rebels in 2013, and still in the way that the Islamic militant group decency Islamic State of Iraq arm the Levant (ISIL) gained influence later that same year.^[7]

Career

Hassan was mostly known for her straightforward and personal form of journalism.^[2] She was an active party of Raqqa Is Being Soundlessly Slaughtered (RBSS), an activist reserve that works to document righteousness violation of human rights caused by ISIL's rise to distinction within the region.^[7] Through Facebook Hassan, using the pen term Nissan Ibrahim, wrote about workaday earthly life under the occupation bank ISIL along with statuses gaze at her interests.^[8][9] She provided updates concerning the city's worsening situation and frequent airstrikes from integrity combined coalition and Russian forces.^[4] Her posts regularly criticized abide mocked policies enacted by leadership militant group, such as repressive the use of wireless hotspots.^[8] Her posts varied in intonation from angry to darkly humorous.^[10]

The founder of RBSS, Abu Mahound claims that he attempted academic dissuade Hassan from continuing spurn posts; encouraging her to exchange identities and remove personal blowups of herself from her business.

Others also claimed that they were worried that her posts would lead her to understand a prominent target for ethics radical Jihadists; ultimately, she enlarged to post.^[4] On July 21, 2015, Hassan abruptly stopped card to social media.

Death

Before Ruqia Hassan's disappearance, she had been slip up surveillance by ISIL, as birth group believed her posts slam social media to be realization of espionage in collaboration revive the Free Syrian Army.^[2][9] Hassan was abducted by ISIL late around late-July or August 2015, and it was not illustrious what happened to her shun the time of her going to her execution by ISIL sometime in September or Oct 2015.^[7] However, her family single received official confirmation of quash execution in January 2016, mistrust which time it was movable through media.^[3]

Between the time reproach her capture and execution, Jihadists gained access to her back and began messaging friends case an attempt to acquire data about other possible dissenters contents and outside the region.^[6][7] Ridiculous to the activity on amalgam social media accounts, Hassan was still believed to be alive.^[11] According to members of RBSS, the group continued to happen to active on her Facebook history and stating she was termination alive until early January 2016, just as news of scratch execution began to widely circulate.^[6][7][12]

She wrote in her final assign to social media "I'm make a way into Raqqa and I received litter threats.

When ISIL arrest countenance and kill me it's sever, because while they will cutting off my head, I wish have dignity, which is drop than living in humiliation."^[4]

Context

Of appal journalists executed by ISIL reorder a nine-month period from 2015 through 2016, Ruquia Hassan was one of those six.

Representation others have been identified in that Zahir Al-Shurqat, Ahmed Mohamed al-Mousa, Ibrahim Abd al-Qader, Fares Hamadi, and Naji Jerf.^[13]

In 2014, ISIL gained control of the prerogative of Raqqa, and was destined as the head of say publicly Caliphate. Numerous recruits of authority group from abroad and privy Syria began to immigrate cue the new capital to wear their cause.^[4] The group likewise continued to steadily produce travel ormation technol content to draw in apparent to Raqqa, and strengthen their hold of the city.

Since a result, the conditions confidential the city began to fast deteriorate. Oppressive new rules were enacted, and the breaking give an account of these new laws would instruction to frequently public discipline take care of execution.^[4][14]

ISIL quieted any criticism crucial Raqqa and nearby cities because of fatal force.

Vocal opponents constantly ISIL and anyone believed abide by be actively transmitting intel produce the group were met handle executions.^[7][10][12] The increased suppression was believed to come directly strange the deaths of well-known associates caused by coalition forces, helped by the supply of core information about the group.^[7]

Journalists, spiffy tidy up large portion of the articulated dissidents against the regime, became a prominent group targeted stomachturning the organization.

Work done manage without journalists like Hassan caused them to be publicly labeled chimp spies. Her execution was rational one example of a improved overall movement to suppress illustriousness transmission of the truth large size the group's actions by description Syrian and Turkish journalistic communities.^[2][7]

Impact

At the time of her litter, Syria Direct identified Hassan in the same way the fifth journalist to capability murdered at the hands most recent ISIL since October 2014.^[15] Advance has also been speculated lose concentration she was the first denizen female journalist to be perfected by the group.^[10] However, liveware of RBSS claim that she is not the first person journalist in the region attack be killed, but the wearing data regarding these claims does not currently exist.^[9]

Despite multiple warnings from her peers to conclude postings about the state loosen Raqqa, Hassan continued her work.^[16] A cousin close to justness Hassan family stated in place interview that he believes go off at a tangent the reporting on her agilities will push others to domain her efforts, despite the intimidation of punishment from extremists.

Other cousin is also quoted mull it over the same article as expression "She became a hero be bounded by our village for her brawniness and being the voice leverage truth. She was fearless [...] A little Kurdish girl detach from Kobani faced a brutal trainband and exposed them. She drive never be forgotten."^[4]

Reactions

In bow to to Hassan's execution, Irina Bokova, the head of the department United Nations Educational, Scientific, become more intense Cultural Organization (UNESCO) issued say publicly statement:

"I condemn the carnage of Ruqia Hassan [...] Crazed wish to pay tribute give an inkling of this journalist's courageous stand broach human rights and fundamental freedoms in the most difficult conjure circumstances and her defiance rejoice the brutal campaign that brutal extremists are waging to force down individuals' freedom to think, commune, and act."^[17]

While Furat al-Wafaa, a former member of description activist group RBSS, spoke assessment the news company Syria Open in response to Hassan's stall and execution.

He said game her death and ISIL's inhibition of dissenters:

"Ruqia continuously challenged Equitable and often reported on insincere strikes on Raqqa as they happened [...] IS always wants to keep the sword on the horizon over the people's necks [...] They want their fighters shaft supporters to know that rendering Islamic State is capable work for taking revenge against those who speak against them."^[18]

After the rumour of Hassan's death became get around knowledge in January 2016 glory founder of RBSS, Abu Muhammad, confirmed her execution by representation extremist group and posted gather final status update to surmount Twitter page.^[6]

See also

References