Bio
Alicia Medina
Reporter
Alicia Medina is a Spanish journalist based in Beirut. Her work has been published in international media outlets and she holds a master’s degree in Journalism, Media and Globalisation from the Erasmus Mundus program.
Latest Articles
A Syrian story: One grandfather’s quest for a quiet life
Mahmoud Ahmad al-Hallaq, a grandfather, carpenter and refugee from East Ghouta living in Lebanon, recalls his time in the Syrian army cooking for Cuban soldiers during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, and the many twists and turns of his ill-fated quest for a quiet life.
What does the Chinese-brokered Saudi-Iran deal mean for Syria?
Besides bolstering normalization with Assad normalization, how might the Saudi-Iran deal affect Syria? Can Riyadh counter Iranian influence on Syria or push Assad to clamp down on the captagon trade? Will China claim a larger political role in Syria or fund reconstruction?
Denmark pushes Syrians to return to ‘safe’ Latakia and Tartous
After deeming Damascus and Reef Dimashq safe for return in 2019, Denmark is now reassessing the right of Syrians from Latakia and Tartous to stay in Denmark on the grounds it is safe for them to go back to Syria.
Twelve years of an aid quagmire in Syria
The international community’s failure to adequately help victims of the February 6 earthquake in northwestern Syria encapsulated the main ills of the aid sector in Syria over 12 years of uprising and conflict.
Distance (Episode 5): Under one roof
In 2015, Haitham al-Kurdi made the dangerous journey from Syria to Denmark alone, planning to bring his wife and children later. Over the following eight years, his hopes were repeatedly dashed as Danish asylum policies tightened.
Anti-Syrian discrimination mars Turkey’s earthquake response
Amid a spike in anti-refugee rhetoric, some Turkish organizations and authorities denied shelter, food or evacuation rides to Syrian refugees in the aftermath of the February 6 earthquake.
The challenge of identifying Syrian earthquake victims
The scale of devastation in Turkey and Syria, speed of burials, and lack of resources for identification of earthquake victims raise concerns that families will struggle to find the remains of their loved ones
Concerns over earthquake’s impact on children in northwestern Syria as relief efforts continue
As the earthquake emergency response in northwestern Syria focuses on rescue operations and relief, some local organizations in northwestern Syria are honing in on the disaster’s impact on children.
Distance (Episode 4): Dad is on the phone
Khaled and his three-year-old daughter Jawahir have only ever met on the phone. She was not yet born when he fled Syria in 2018, aiming to apply for family reunification with his wife and their daughter. But they missed a bureaucratic deadline, and for three years the family has been in limbo.
Community in the collapse: Syrian LGBTQ+ refugees carve out their own havens in Beirut
Through their own safe spaces and mutual aid, Syrian LGBTQ+ refugees navigate a triple nightmare: Lebanon’s economic collapse, aid budget cuts and a worsening climate for queer people in the country.