Bio
Alicia Medina
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
Distance (Episode 3): ‘What kind of country did I choose?’
When Nisrine and her family made the decision to flee Lebanon for Denmark in 2015, there was a snag: Her 12-year-old daughter Nadine had to return to Syria to get a passport. The border closed, and Nisrine made the painful decision to leave her behind—temporarily, she thought. Seven years later, she is still fighting to reunite with her.
Distance (Episode 2): Alone in Germany
Alaa fled to Germany at 16, after her brother was disappeared by Syrian government forces. She hoped to bring her parents later, but her reunification request was denied. She has not seen her parents for seven years, and has never met her six-year-old brother.
Distance (Episode 1): Twice left behind
Mayada fled to Sweden in 2015 and applied for family reunification with her two sons, Rabieh and Adeeb. Rabieh was accepted, but Adeeb turned 18 during the process and was rejected. She has not seen him for eight years.
Syria Direct presents ‘Distance’: A podcast exploring how European family reunification systems keep Syrian families apart
“Distance,” an upcoming podcast by Syria Direct, offers an intimate portrayal of the pain and rage of mothers, fathers, sons and daughters caught in a bureaucratic nightmare after their family reunification requests were rejected by European migration authorities.
Syria’s 2022 and the outlook for 2023
In 2022, Syria’s humanitarian, political and economic crisis reached new depths. How did the year unfold, and what can be expected in 2023?
In a rare step, 5 Lebanese security officers indicted in Syrian refugee’s torture death
The lawyer representing the family of Bashar Al-saud, a Syrian refugee allegedly tortured to death by Lebanese State Security officers in August, called the indictment a “bold and historic” decision.
Despair among Syrians cut off from UN cash assistance in Lebanon
Facing a budget shortfall, the UN Refugee Agency and the World Food Program are cutting monthly cash assistance for some Syrian refugees in Lebanon, many of whom already live in extreme poverty.
Syrians in refugee camps face a cholera nightmare in Lebanon
With precarious access to safe water and rampant poverty, Syrian refugees in Lebanon face a cholera outbreak that has infected more than 3,000 people so far.
Facing a dead end in Lebanon, 1,600 Syrian families sign up for ‘voluntary return’
Refugees in Lebanon who signed up to return to Syria as part of a first batch of 1,600 families say economic hardship and a lack of a future in Lebanon informed their decision.
‘We want accountability’: Family of Syrian refugee tortured to death in Lebanon fight for justice
The family of Bashar Abdel Saud, a Syrian refugee who died while in the custody of Lebanon’s State Security last week, is fighting for accountability in a ‘climate of impunity’.