French journalist Sylvain Mercadier recounts being detained, beaten, and interrogated by Israeli soldiers while reporting in the occupied Golan Heights.
Sylvain Mercadier, a French journalist detained by the Israeli army in Syrian territory, has described being beaten and “brutally interrogated” by Israeli soldiers, the Anadolu news agency reported.
Detained alongside Syrian activist and lawyer Muhammed Fayyad, the journalist told Anadolu about the incident that occurred while they were working in the village of Hamidiye.
French journalist Sylvain Mercadier was reportedly arrested by Israeli forces in Syria while covering their advance in the country.
Mercadier was in the Syrian province of Quneitra where Israeli forces have been seizing additional territory beyond what they already occupied of… pic.twitter.com/nDdYkAWwEp
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 9, 2025
Mercadier said that after the Israeli army attempted to seize their computers, they were “brutally” detained with their hands cuffed behind their backs and mouths gagged.
He recounted being taken to a building converted into a military base by the Israeli army in the occupied Golan Heights.
‘Insulted and Humiliated’
“For four hours, we were forced to sit on the ground cross-legged with our hands behind our backs. We were mistreated, insulted and humiliated by the soldiers,” Mercadier explained.
The journalist recounted being frequently interrogated, intimidated and subjected to repeated humiliation, Anadolu reported.
French journalist Sylvain Mercadier and Syrian lawyer Mohammad Al-Fayyad were detained and mistreated by Israeli forces in Quneitra. “We were blindfolded, beaten, and humiliated,” Mercadier recounts.#PressFreedom #JournalistDetention pic.twitter.com/A6SvEPYFKw
— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) January 9, 2025
“We were interrogated multiple times, intimidated and threatened. I was thrown to the ground and beaten because I refused to cooperate with the army by unlocking my phone,” he said.
After the interrogation, Mercadier said they were driven to another village and released.
Equipment Confiscated
Their SIM cards, phones, cameras and memory cards were, however, not returned.
“I was deprived of my equipment needed for work,” he stressed.
French journalist Sylvain Mercadier was detained.
He was “threatened and humiliated” by Israeli forces.
We were handcuffed and blindfolded
We were threatened and humiliated
The Israeli stole my sim card, my camera memory cards. pic.twitter.com/7Wz00NrSRt
— Chronicles of Shame (@ShameChronicles) January 10, 2025
On X, Mercadier posted: “We had done nothing but do our work: journalism. When we were ordered by the army to stop filming, we stopped. When they searched the car, we let them do, but when they wanted to confiscate a laptop in the car, Mohammed protested and was immediately arrested.”
The journalist added that he too “started protesting this absurd behaviour and we were both arrested. Soldiers made fun of us as we were handcuffed and let on the cold floor.”
“We are determined to continue reporting on the occupation of Syria,” he stressed.
‘Shameful’
Thomas Portes, a French politician and outspoken critic of Israeli atrocities in Gaza, described the arrests as “shameful.”
“His crime? He was filming and photographing the Israeli advance on Syrian territory on the Golan border,” he said on X.
HONTEUX ! Le journaliste français @Sylv_Mercadier est actuellement détenu par l’armée israélienne. Son crime ? Il filmait et photographiait l’avancée israélienne sur le territoire syrien à la frontière du Golan. @datirachida vous allez rester silencieuse longtemps ? pic.twitter.com/NbJ8N6gZZC
— Thomas Portes (@Portes_Thomas) January 8, 2025
Expanded Occupation
The Israeli army detained Mercadier and Fayyad in the Quneitra region of Syria on December 8, 2024, and claimed that after questioning, the two were released along with their personal belongings, reported Anadolu.
Israeli military attacks increased in Syria following the collapse of the 61-year-old Baath regime on December 8.
The Israeli army has expanded its occupation in the Golan Heights, advancing within 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) of Damascus, according to Anadolu.
Israel has occupied Syria’s Golan Heights since 1967, and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Israel and Syria established the boundaries of the demilitarized zone.
(Anadolu, PC)
