Prisoner filmed by CNN in Syria may actually be a war criminal...

 

The supposed prisoner (center). New York Post/CNN.

A prisoner filmed by CNN supposedly being released after being held by the Syrian regime may actually be a war criminal. New York Post. The footage, which showed CNN reporter Clarissa Ward leading a prisoner out of jail for the first time in three months, went viral last week, with few questioning it. However, a fact checker claimed that the prisoner, named Adel Ghurbal in the video, was actually 1st Lieutenant Salama Mohammad Salama, a member of Syria's Air Force Intelligence service. Local residents claimed that he had killed civilians during the war in Homs and used his position to extort civilians as well. The civilians say he was locked up for not sharing his ill-gotten gains with his superiors and was not a political prisoner at all. The fact checkers also allege he was there for less than a month and was not held in as bad of conditions as he claimed. CNN says they are investigating the matter. 

My Comment:

Strange story out of the Syria conflict and one that makes CNN look like fools. They apparently didn't do any vetting of this situation before they actually released the video and now it looks like they were victims of a scam job. 

Was Lieutenant Salama in prison? Sure looks like it. But that's about all about his story that seems verified. If the reports of his identity are true, it's possible the whole thing was an intelligence or propaganda operation. Indeed, it might have been the Jihadists who took over Syria trying to make the Syrian regime look worse than it is by portraying them as a regime that holds innocent people in the dark for three months. That isn't to say that the Assad regime wasn't brutal, but it does seem to be demonization on the part of the rebels to try and justify their rebellion. 

It does seem like this guy, if the fact check is true, was a pretty huge scumbag. He abused his position of power t exploit and harm civilians and even commit war crimes. He was a victim of the regime only in that he made the wrong superior angry and got what he honestly deserved. He's someone that should be locked up, assuming the fact check is right.

Either way, CNN screwed up here, and badly. They absolutely should have vetted the footage and made sure that man was who he said he was. Indeed, this almost seems like the reporters in this case were almost painfully naive, assuming they weren't in on the scam. The whole point of journalism is asking questions but none of the people involved in this story thought to ask if a man that was in prison was actually a good guy?

And it's not like there weren't signs. In retrospect something was obviously up when the guy was supposedly held in the dark for three months was able to see just fine when he walked out side. He looked like he was in good health and had no visible signs of torture or even distress. But CNN just repeated his claims like they were the gospel. 

It's another example of how modern journalism is a joke. I took locals working on the ground to debunk this story and they sound like real journalists, compared to CNN that bought this hook line and sinker, assuming they didn't play a part in setting it up. It's just another example of journalism in general and CNN in particular not having good journalistic standards.