Syria needs to address public grievances and strengthen the rule of law to curb hate speech and prevent social divisions, Hassan Jubran, director of national reconciliation at the National Commission for Transitional Justice, told SANA on Wednesday.
In remarks to SANA, Jubran said slogans and counter-rhetoric were insufficient, arguing that concrete measures to address perceptions of injustice were needed to prevent hostility from spreading between social groups.
He said people who feel wronged may view others as complicit in their suffering or unwilling to help, creating conditions in which hate speech can grow. Better governance and stronger government performance could help address those grievances, he added.
Criticism, incitement and media freedom
Jubran said fact-finding, transparency and access to information were essential to countering divisive narratives. He warned that some content presented as criticism could instead amount to deliberate incitement or misinformation, particularly on social media, where emotionally charged attacks may circulate without evidence or practical solutions.
He called for greater public participation in decision-making while safeguarding freedom of expression and access to information.
Jubran also rejected prior censorship of media content, calling for a pluralistic media environment that reflects different identities and cultures. Professional codes of conduct and media legislation, he said, should promote responsible expression without restricting content.
Media training and awareness campaign
The remarks came as the Ministry of Information, the Syrian Media Academy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) concluded a project to strengthen media capacity to counter hate speech and support peacebuilding in Syria.
Launched six months ago, the project delivered 35 training programmes attended by more than 775 people across nine provinces, according to the report.
The three partners also launched the “Words Build” campaign on Oct. 6 to raise awareness of hate speech, incitement and misleading rumors and promote responsible content sharing.
