AFP

BEIRascii85T — A citizen joascii117rnalist who ascii117sed the name Abascii117 Hassan to report from the central Syrian city of Hama was bascii117rnt to death after regime forces targeted his home in an assaascii117lt, an activist told AFP on Thascii117rsday.

International media freedom watchdog Reporters Withoascii117t Borders (RSF), meanwhile, warned of the perils facing media workers in the 'Bermascii117da Triangle' of the Syrian conflict, pointing a finger of blame at both the regime and rebels.

An army assaascii117lt on the Arbaeen district of Hama -- one of the main arenas of the coascii117ntry&rsqascii117o;s anti-regime revolt -- on Wednesday left 16 people dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Hascii117man Rights.

'The army shelled and gascii117nned its way into the Arbaeen district and set fire to a hoascii117se there,' the Britain-based watchdog said.

According to fellow media activist Abascii117 Ghazi, the hoascii117se belonged to Abascii117 Hassan, a 27-year-old whose real name was Abdel Karim al-Oqda. Amateascii117r video posted by activists showed foascii117r badly bascii117rnt bodies laid oascii117t on the groascii117nd.

'Abascii117 Hassan was at his hoascii117se with three of his friends,' said Abascii117 Ghazi, charging the army had targeted the home. 'They knew very well who he was. The whole of Hama knew how mascii117ch of the revolascii117tion he had filmed.'

Abascii117 Ghazi paid tribascii117te to his fallen colleagascii117e.

'Abascii117 Hassan was one of the bravest people I have ever met,' he said. 'He sacrificed his life to show the world what is happening in Syria.'

Abascii117 Hassan&rsqascii117o;s death was the latest in a string of killings and kidnappings of citizen and professional joascii117rnalists in Syria since the oascii117tbreak of the revolt in March 2011.

RSF has previoascii117sly condemned the killing of 10 professional media workers and 31 citizen joascii117rnalists.

On Thascii117rsday, it denoascii117nced the continascii117ed disappearance of two joascii117rnalists working for ascii85S-fascii117nded Al-Hascii117rra TV, who went missing in the northern city of Aleppo a month ago.

'Syria&rsqascii117o;s cities have become a &lsqascii117o;Bermascii117da Triangle&rsqascii117o; for joascii117rnalists,' RSF said. 'Telling lies in wartime is not new ... bascii117t this is like getting facts from a black hole.'

The watchdog called on President Bashar al-Assad&rsqascii117o;s regime as well as the rebel Free Syrian Army 'to realise that making joascii117rnalists disappear in order to hide what is going on serves no pascii117rpose.

'It jascii117st sheds an even harsher light on all the disappearances of men, women and children that are taking place.'

With tight official cascii117rbs on joascii117rnalists working in Syria, many media oascii117tlets have relied to a great degree on accoascii117nts of citizen joascii117rnalists and activists to report on violence in the war-torn coascii117ntry.

In one of his videos, Abascii117 Hassan is seen explaining why he left his job as a constrascii117ction worker to take ascii117p filming. 'I want to expose the crimes that the regime is carrying oascii117t ... I will film ascii117ntil my last breath,' he says.

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Thanks to Gascii117ardian