After several failed attempts to assassinate the civil and media activist Raed AlFares, whose last was the most serious one when he was shot by three bullets in the chest and kept him in the hospital for nearly two months, today two unknown men assassinated Raed with his colleague Hamoud Junaid in Kefranabal city south of Idlib province.
According to Ali Dandoush, a journalist at radio Fresh, and was with Raed and Hamoud during the incident. “After we left the radio station in the eastern neighborhood of Kefranabal town with100 meters, we passed by a closed silver van. It kept following us until we reached one of Raed’s relatives’ house, then the van approached us and gunmen opened fire on us from behind the windows and then two of them got out of the car and shot their guns at Raed and Hamoud and left …”
Ali luckily was not hurt because he was sitting in the back seat of the car, while Raed and Hamoud were rushed directly to the hospital. Hammoud Junaid lost his life at the moment from a heart injury, while Raed was still breathing, then he died in the Kefranabal Surgery Hospital.
Raed was the director of the Union of Revolutionary Bureaus, and Fresh radio station director in Kefranabal city. His acts and movements have never been welcomed by the regime or extremist actors in Syria. The radio station offices got sabotaged and the equipment was confiscated by ISIS at the end of 2013. Later on, the radio witnessed several assaults and disruptions by extremist groups in the town, including its forced closure for four months in 2014, and the armed assault against it in 2015, when armed men broke into the radio, attacked the radio team including Raed beside Hadi Alabdullah who was there.
According to a close friend of him, Raed was not living a normal life since he went back to Kefranabal. After his return, he received many threats, especially during the last few months. He was living in a state of extreme cautious, he was changing his place regularly, and kept hiding, because of his fear of arrest or assassination.
Kesh Malek organization condemns the assassination of activists Raed Al fares and Hamoud Jneid, who were of free word holders in Kafranbel and Syria. Our deepest condolences for their family, friends and every Syrian who believes in the Revolution of dignity and freedom.
Living with the hope of a day to come and bring justice to Raed and all the Syrian martyrs.
