Is the "Adel Gharbal" report from Syria fake? CNN launches investigation

The US-based broadcaster CNN has announced that it has launched an investigation into a report filmed in a prison under the control of the Bashar al-Assad administration in Damascus, which was captured by jihadist forces and subsequently criticized on social media.

In the video of the report, CNN correspondent Clarissa Ward and an armed individual accompanying her were filming a prison in Damascus when they 'coincidentally' encountered a prisoner in a locked cell. It was reported that this person was a man named Adel Gharbal from Homs.

In the video, Gharbal is found under a blanket and says he was arrested three months ago and had not seen daylight during that time. Users on social media reacted to the report, which was published on December 12 with the headline "CNN witnesses the moment a Syrian prisoner is released from where he was forcibly held by the Assad regime," claiming that it was 'fake'.

'DELETED HIS ACCOUNTS TO DESTROY EVIDENCE'

It was also alleged that the person introduced under the name 'Adel Gharbal' is a war criminal.

The fact-checking website Verify-sy.com reported that the person featured in the story is a first lieutenant serving in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence. It was alleged that the real name of the person known as 'Abu Hamza' is 'Salama Mohammad Salama' and that he was involved in war crimes.

According to a report by Al Arabiya, the Verify-Sy report noted that local residents in Homs accused Salama of harassment, theft, arbitrary detention, and abuse.

It was stated that after the fall of the Assad administration, Salama closed his social media accounts and changed his phone number to destroy evidence of his involvement in war crimes. It was also reported that Salama tortured those who did not pay him bribes or follow his orders.

Sources also stated that Salama's detention in Damascus lasted less than a month.

'NO ONE KNEW'

A CNN spokesperson, in a statement to AA regarding the allegations circulating on social media about the accuracy of the report, noted the following:

"That day, no one other than the CNN team knew about our plan to visit the prison building featured in our report. Events unfolded exactly as they appear in the video. The person who decided to release the prisoner featured in the report was a Syrian opposition member. We reported everything as it was, including what the prisoner said. Subsequently, we began to investigate the individual's background, and we are aware that he may have provided a fake identity. We continue to investigate this matter."