Journalists in Syria have come to recognize that unlike many of the other countries involved in the Arab Spring, Syria is truly lawless when it comes to journalists, and an already unsafe profession becomes a nearly suicidal one. Both government and rebel forces are guilty of kidnapping or jailing protesters[1][2][3]. Islamist groups have also had their share of horrendous and unconscionable acts perpetrated against journalists[4][5]. As horrible the fate as some of these brave men and women have faced, there is a small seed of comfort in knowing what has happened to them. Unfortunately, many families don’t have even that respite.

After Syrians started protesting and then began taking up arms in 2011, American freelance journalist Austin Tice realized he could be one of the first to report accurate information on the ground, according to his father. Tice, who had been an officer in the United States Marine Corps[6], reached Syria in June 2012 through the Turkish border. Eventually after traveling through central Syria he made his way to the FSA held town of Darraya near Damascus. Tice gained several thousand followers on Twitter as he tweeted news about the evolving Syrian Civil War. He also operated a flickr account[7] where he would post images taken during his time in Syria. On August 11, 2012, Austin Tice celebrated his 31st birthday by relaxing in a pool, listening to Taylor Swift music, and drinking[8]. That was also the day of his last tweet.

There is not much concrete evidence of what happened after August 11th to Austin Tice. The only solid fact that is known is that he was kidnapped. No group has claimed responsibility and every group asked about Tice’s disappearance have denied holding him. Shortly after his kidnapping, a 47 second video was released showing Tice being driven into a rural area blindfolded[9]. He is then stood as men dressed in gear covering their faces surround him with different weaponry. Tice recites several prayers in Arabic and says “Oh Jesus” in a distressed manner before the video cuts off. Tice has not been seen since. Theories vary on what happened to Austin Tice. A very prominent one that he foreshadowed to[10] is the idea that a group such as the Al Nusra Front kidnapped him and executed him in the desert after the video. Another suggests that in fact, the Syrian government captured Tice and staged the video. In the latter theory, Tice is suggested to still be alive. In America, Tice’s parents have been trying to find out what happened to their son but still don’t have a solid evidence. As of October 2015, Tice has been missing for over a thousand days and counting.

What happened to Tice unfortunately may never be known. Hundreds if not thousands of people domestically in Syria have went missing without a trace. A foreigner might be even harder to find after such a long time. Tice could be in a government prison, he could be held by a jihadi group still, or worst case scenario, he is no longer alive. Before venturing into Syria, he left an ominous tweet saying “This is either gonna be wildly successful or a complete disaster. Here goes nothing'[11]. If you have any information on Austin Tice’s whereabouts, contact the FBI or local American Embassy[13].

Another missing journalists in Syria, Kevin Patrick Dawes has not been seen since October 2012, the following written by u/yetanothertravel.

A slightly more ambiguous figure, Kevin Patrick Dawes (known as “Caro Ascending”, “Caro”, or “Orac” on the “Something Awful” forums) could likely be considered a bit of a “war tourist”, having first participated in the Libyan uprising. Initially a “freelance photojournalist”, Dawes quickly moved into a medic role despite lack of any training, and then into a “counter-sniper” role, despite lack of any military service or semblance thereof [14][15]. He then used what he had “learned in the field” in the burgeoning battlefields of Syria, joining those fighting government forces. Because of the prolific nature of his posts and life, Dawes has been remarkably well documented – on forums, that is [16]. Dawes also kept meticulous records of his own, giving daily reports on numbers killed, numbers arrested, and instances of gunfire and shelling on his blog Frontier Journalism [17]. Dawes also documented UN visits, FSA movements and fallen soldiers, also keeping a video diary on his own YouTube channel [18]. Dawes seemed to have practiced medicine more here, often consulting youtube for tutorials with regards to medical treatments and how to administer them – essentially medical school via youtube. Dawes was an avid tweeter, amassing over a thousand tweets, his stream falling suddenly silent on the 2nd of October 2012, after a tweet about Assad forces and alleged mistreatment of women and children. What happens after that is entirely a mystery. Ever reliable random internet rumors hold that Dawes was tortured to death in a government torture camp [18]. A San Diego newspaper reports him as still missing [19]. A CNN broadcast from Wolf Blitzer earlier this year claims that Dawes is alive and being held by some unknown entities [20]. We encourage anyone with any information to contact the FBI, as they are still searching for him [21].

Endnotes:

1. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/12/over-200-journalists-still-jailed-worldwide-2013121863141499402.html

2. http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/08/10/Syrian-regime-releases-journalist-Mazen-Darwish.html

3. https://cpj.org/reports/2013/12/second-worst-year-on-record-for-jailed-journalists.php

4. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/28/magazine/theo-padnos-american-journalist-on-being-kidnapped-tortured-and-released-in-syria.html

5. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28867627

6. http://www.vanityfair.com/news/politics/2014/05/journalists-missing-in-syria

7. https://www.flickr.com/photos/abtice/

8. https://twitter.com/Austin_Tice/status/234405662518546432

9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNdA0q9j040

10. https://twitter.com/Austin_Tice/status/232389746696003584

11. https://twitter.com/Austin_Tice/status/199877983136260096

12. https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/austin-bennett-tice/view

13. http://www.npr.org/2011/10/24/141646227/u-s-aid-worker-took-up-arms-with-libyas-rebels

14. http://www.salon.com/2011/10/26/npr_celebrates_crazy_forum_trolls_decision_to_practice_unlicensed_medicine_in_libya/

15. http://somethingsensitive.com/index.php?topic=746.0

16. http://frontierjournalism.blogspot.com/

17. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSUNav3Z0qZI5_6whz9eoUA

18. http://www.poetv.com/video.php?vid=137045

19. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/mar/06/hostages-syria-iraq-islamic-state/

20. http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1502/10/sitroom.02.html

21. https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/kevin-patrick-dawes/view