Ferzat Jarban

Ferzat Jaban (died November 19 or 20, 2011) was the first Syrian journalist reported to be killed while covering the Syrian civil war, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Jarban was a Syrian freelance cameraman who was found dead one day after being arrested for reporting on an anti-government protest and the clashes between protesters and security forces in Al-Qusayr, Homs Governorate, Syria. His videos have appeared on several Arab satellite news outlets.

Death Ferzat Jarban, a Syrian, was arrested on Saturday, 19 November 2011, while videotaping protests against the President Bashar al-Assad's government in Al-Qusayr, according to eyewitnesses. Jarban's body was found the next morning on the street side and his corpse was "extremely mutilated," which included his eyes being gouged out, and with two bullet wounds.

According to reports at least four more people were killed by security forces in al-Qasir on Sunday November 20, 2011. Just a day after Jarban was arrested and the same day he was found killed.

Jarban's murder occurred the day after the Assad government dismissed a monitoring mission demanded by the Arab League by calling for changes in the plan, and Syrian forces had killed 17 people on Saturday.

Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO, said: "This ruthless attack must not go unpunished. It is a violation of the basic human right of freedom of expression and of journalists’ inalienable right and duty to carry out their work in safety and without hindrance. I call on the government of Syria to stop all forms of violence against journalists immediately. I also appeal to the authorities to put an end to flagrant repression against those who report on current events in the country."