SYRIA DIRECT is an independent, nonprofit media and training organization. We are dedicated to telling Syrian stories and mentoring Syrian journalists in accordance with the highest editorial and ethical standards of journalism. Founded in 2013 in Amman, we are now a registered non-profit organization in Germany, financed through grants and projects.
Mission: We produce high-quality, in-depth reporting on Syria and Syrians across the world, and work to develop Syria’s independent media space by training, platforming, and mentoring journalists.
Vision: We envision a vibrant, pluralistic, independent Syrian mediascape that holds power to account, highlights marginalized voices, and informs decision-makers.
Our main activities are:
1. Media coverage: We produce fact-based, accountability-driven journalism through original news reports, investigations, and multimedia content on Syria and the Syrian diaspora.
2. Training: We deliver training and workshops on basic and advanced journalism skills, including investigative and conflict-sensitive reporting.
Our Team
Malik al-Abdeh is Executive Director of Syria Direct, a role he assumed in April 2026. A journalist and peacebuilding specialist, he began his career at BBC Monitoring before founding Barada TV, Syria’s first pro-democracy satellite channel. He later worked with Reuters TV, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and the European Institute of Peace, and founded Conflict Mediation Solutions, a Track II consultancy, and the magazine Syria in Transition. At Syria Direct, he is leading the organisation’s development as a hub for independent, public-interest media and the training of a new generation of journalists.
Tam Hussein is E
nglish Editor at Syria Direct, bringing more than 15 years of experience as an award-winning editor, investigative journalist and author specialising in Syria and the Middle East. He has held senior roles at ITV News and New Lines Magazine, leading investigations and mentoring emerging reporters. His work has received a Royal Television Society Journalism Award and Orwell Prize nominations. He is also the co-author of the nonfiction memoirs To the Mountains and Shadows over Kabul, as well as works of fiction including the novel The Darkness Inside, the novella The Travels of Ibn Fudayl and several short stories.
Mona Abboud is Arabic Editor at Syria Direct and a journalist with more than a decade of experience. She began her career as a citizen journalist in Syria and later worked as a producer, presenter and editorial coordinator at Smart Radio. A survivor of detention in Assad’s prisons, she is also a novelist and the author of Pack Your Bags, which documents the experiences of women detained or disappeared by the Syrian regime.
Mohamad Hamdoun is the Program Manager at Syria Direct, bringing over eight years of experience leading donor-funded media development, civil society, and human rights initiatives across Syria and the MENA region. Previously, he served as a Project Lead at IREX, where he managed multi-partner media support portfolios, coordinated stakeholder networks, and directed donor compliance. Mohamad’s technical expertise also spans open-source investigation (OSINT) and secure database management with leading documentation groups and NGOs.
Aya Mahmoud is Finance and Administration Manager at Syria Direct, bringing more than 14 years of experience in financial management, grants administration and organisational operations within international NGOs. She holds an MBA in Global Management from ESLSCA Business School Paris and has worked with Sequa gGmbH, Save the Children International and Handicap International, managing complex donor-funded portfolios supported by the European Union.
Our Board
Our Partners
