Syrian Pirate Radio

Sout Raya's symbol - a map of Syria depicting zones controlled by military groups

Istanbul, Turkey - Sout Raya radio, a Syrian pirate radio station run by a collective of Syrian journalists-turned-exiles, broadcast a variety of shows directly into Syria from their station in Istanbul, Turkey. Initiated in 2012 by co-founders Firas Fayyad, and Aliser Hasan, Sout Raya (Sound of the Flag) radio has evolved to become a full-time station covering a wide range of topics for Syrians still inside Syria, including musical performances, child education programs, in-depth interviews with notable speakers, history, culture, real-time reports on situations inside Syria, and discussions regarding the ever looming question, what form of government will Syria have when the civil war eventually ends?

Firas Fayyad, a 30 year old documentary film maker, activist, and proud new father of a beautiful daughter, lived in Damascus during the start of Syria's Arab Spring revolution in 2011. As anti-government protests quickly slipped out of control, and into a full scale civil war, Firas was one of the first journalists on the ground covering the conflict. His documentary film "On the Other Side" brought him international acclaim, but as he continued to document the fate of his country, he was arrested by Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad's government. 

Journalists in the sound proof room recording a show for broadcasting

Yet, even after being beaten, and tortured by government forces, Firas continued his work documenting the war. That was, until his second arrest by government troops. For 6 months he was imprisoned, beaten, and tortured by electric shocks from a car battery. After his second release, Firas, still determined to continue his work as a journalist, knew he would no longer be safe working in his own country. Fleeing Syria through the south, via Jordan's Zaatari refugee camp, he eventually relocating to Istanbul, Turkey. 

It was here that he connected with Aliser Hasan, the current manager for the station, whose connections with NGOs, and a rich Syrian businessman, brought about the foundation of Sout Raya radio, in 2012. Located in the middle of a financial district in Istanbul, the station has all the professional equipment needed to produce quality programs. The studio itself, is spacious with hardwood floors, beige tiled walls, individual work stations for each department (two sound proof rooms for live broadcasts, news production, music composition, sound mixing, media coordination, a kitchen, and a meeting room with two mat beds tucked away in the corner for journalists to sleep during all night projects). Approaching their two year mark as a station, Sout Raya has a paid staff of 10 journalists working at the Istanbul station, and 14 journalists reporting secretly from various locations within Syria. 

The majority of the station's funding, which is budgeted at $15,000 USD per month, comes directly from a wealthy Syrian benefactor, but a notable portion of funds are coming from various NGOs, predominantly based in western nations. Firas, and the other journalists (whose names will be intentionally concealed for their security) insist they have not received any pressure from NGOs to produce biased reports, (although some reports claim NGOs act as a third party conduit for western government funds). However, all the working journalists personally oppose Assad's regime, regardless of the ultimate source of "no-strings-attached" funds. 

Audio mixing for a broadcast in one of the recording rooms

"Most of our programs are not about the war," a Sout Raya journalist explained. "Our shows focus more on history, culture, welfare, and education. The war is destroying these things, and we need to make sure these important issues are not forgotten".  

Of course, much of their work is not without personal cost. Every journalist for Sout Raya has faced some form of repercussion for their work: arrests, torture, death threats, imprisonment, and so on. In the past, Sout Raya's radio transmitter has been stolen, and destroyed by the Islamic jihadist organization ISIL / ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant/Syria). Many of the journalists working in Istanbul still have family inside of Syria, creating a serious danger if those journalist's families are discovered.

"There is always a moment of being scared every time my phone rings with a Syrian number." Feris told me, gazing at his phone as we sat around the kitchen table over a cup of Nescafe. "Is this going to be the call saying that one of our families has been kidnapped, or killed? After we answer the phone, and we hear them say, 'Hello. How are you?', we can relax, but every time my phone rings, my heart pounds, and races."

Syrian musician creating a score for a program in the music composition room

The Syrian civil war is now entering its fourth year. With a death toll so difficult to confirm, the United Nations has ceased counting the dead. Yet, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that over 150,000 people have been killed in the war, including civilians, fighters for various rebel groups, and the Syrian army. UNHRC (United Nations Human Rights Council) also confirmed that over one million Syrian refugees fled into the neighboring nation of Lebanon, with similar figures being seen in Turkey, and Jordan alike. In their most recent report, the UNHRC called the ongoing refugee crisis a "devastating milestone for a host community stretched to breaking point". 

In Syria, currently the world's largest humanitarian crisis, there is no end in sight to this war. For Feris, and all of the journalists for Sout Raya radio, their work is never ending, and will continue until a solution is forged, one way or another.

"We want to create unity," Feris explains. "We need news about things that are beyond death counts. We will continue to work for peace, even when the war is over. Syria is our country, our home, and we [the Syrian people] will need to heal after the war".

"We will return to Syria," he went on, after a pause. "Everyone will have to continue with their lives. I will make my life's work through films, and try to find a way to heal my country. When there is peace, we hope to expand the radio station, and create Sout Raya TV in Syria".

"We dream of freedom, and will achieve just that" he said with confidence. "It will not be easy, but it is not impossible".

A kitchen discussion about future governance