On 26 January 2016, Mahmoud Shaaban al-Hajj Khederh was murdered in Deiz ez-Zor. Khederh was a journalist and political analyst who was working for Al-A’an radio. In this capacity he covered human rights violations in Syria throughout the course of the civil war while also working as an independent journalist.

When Deiz ez-Zor fell to Daesh, Khederh chose to remain in the city and continue his work as a journalist despite potential threats to his life. He was targeted by Daesh who accused him of “treason” and working with the west by giving information and coordinates to hostile groups. In a brutal execution Khederh was tied to a metal door and strangled with a chain.

On the same day Daesh executed four other journalists in the city of Deiz ez-Zor in similarly cruel fashion. All of these killings were published on social media by the organisation in an attempt to silence future dissent.