_2024.svg) Official logo | |
| Company type | State media |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 1965; 59 years ago (1965-06) |
| Founder | Syrian Arab Republic |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Zyad Mahameed (CEO) |
| Owner | Government of Syria (Ministry of Information) |
Number of employees | 1,153[1] |
| Website | ArabicEnglishArabic (alt.)English (alt.) |
TheSyrian Arab News Agency (SANA) (Arabic:الوكالة العربية السورية للأنباء (سانا),romanized: al-Wakālah al-ʿArabīyah as-Sūrīyah lil-ʾAnbāʾ (SĀNĀ)) is aSyrianstate-ownednews agency, linked tothe country's ministry of information. It was established in June 1965.[2]
SANA publishes more than 500 news stories and 150 photos on a daily basis and operates in multiple languages: Arabic, English, French, Spanish, Turkish, Persian and Russian. The agency is also a member of the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA).[3][4]
SANA launched its website in 1997.[5] Up until November 2012, SANA's website was hosted inDallas,Texas, by the United States companySoftLayer. Due to sanctions related to theSyrian Civil War, which make this hosting illegal, the SoftLayer company was obliged to terminate its hosting responsibilities with SANA.[6]
SANA's English website states that the agency "adopts Syria's national firm stances and its support to the Arab and Islamic causes and principles with the aim of presenting the real civilized image of Syria."[7]
Prior to the collapse of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024, the website was offline due to hacking attempt attributed to unknown source.[8]
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According to German news agencyDeutsche Welle; "when it comes to hard politics, the agency [SANA] has a clear agenda" and "SANA, being a public news agency, has a stake in the conflict to supportAssad's government." It is critical of Western governments, including the US, which push forregime-change in Syria.[7][9][10][11][12][13][excessive citations] The agency does not describe opposition groups as "rebels", but rather labels them "terrorists".[7][13][14][15][16][12][excessive citations]
In 2011, SANA published an article giving its version of events surrounding thedeath of 13-year-old Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb, an account which differed fromAl Jazeera's.[17] Al Jazeera reported that Hamza "spent nearly a month in the custody of Syrian security" and when his corpse was returned it "bore the scars of brutal torture."[17] According to Al Jazeera, "experienced local journalists and human rights researchers found no reason to doubt the authenticity of the footage of Hamza."[17] According to SANA, armed groups arrived in the village ofSaida and Hamza was found dead after the fighting and sent to a hospital to be identified.[17] SANA, quoting a coroner, stated that Hamza died from three gunshots and that "there weren't any traces of violence, resistance or torture or any kinds of bruises, fractures, joint displacements or cuts."[17] According to SANA, the photos of Hamza circulating online "were taken after an advanced stage of disintegration after death."[17]
SANA called reports from August 2013 ona chemical attack in Ghouta "baseless" and an attempt to distractUN inspectors who had arrived inSyria to probe earlier allegations of chemical weapons use.[18] SANA had reported that anti-government forces were responsible forfiring a rocket containing chemical materials in the Khan-al Assal area of Aleppo province in March 2013.[18]
In August 2015, after a three-day visit to Syria during theSyrian civil war, theemergency relief coordinator of theUnited Nations,Stephen O'Brien, told reporters he was "absolutely horrified by the total disregard for civilian life by all parties in this conflict."[19] O'Brien condemned the conduct of rebel groups and said (of the governmentairstrikes in Douma) "[they]…caused scores of civilian deaths and hundreds of people were injured."[19] SANA posted a video of his remarks onYouTube, editing the footage as a form of backlash, fading it to black before playing audio of his description of the government's attack.[19] SANA also omitted O'Brien's account of events from his time in the Old City ofHoms.[19]
During thefall of Damascus on 8 December 2024, the outlet went inactive for 24 hours before changing its cover picture onTelegram to match thethree-star flag used by rebels the next day.[20]
(in English)| International | |
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| National | |