Annalena Baerbock’s trip to Syria on Friday has left yet another ripple effect. In Damascus, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the new Syrian leader, initially refused to shake hands with the German Foreign Minister—a stark contrast to his treatment of her male colleagues.
Now, a fresh wave of discrimination has emerged. Islamist-aligned news outlets connected to Syria’s new regime are circulating altered images of Baerbock, censoring her presence entirely.
The Almharar news channel shared photos on Telegram where Baerbock’s image had been blurred out. These manipulated pictures depict the German Foreign Minister as unrecognizable, while her French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot (41), is shown fully visible, standing alongside Syrian officials and other men.
The stark difference? Barrot’s status as a man spared him from such editing. Almharar, a channel linked to the Islamist militia Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), closely mirrors the perspective of Syria’s new rulers. However, it’s not an official outlet like the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
Interestingly, SANA released the same images uncensored, showing Baerbock alongside Barrot and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaybani. These unaltered photos also include Baerbock during her meeting with Prime Minister Ahmad al-Sharaa and at the notorious Sadnaja prison, a symbol of the Assad regime’s brutality.
Despite efforts by Syria’s new leaders to appear moderate and open to the international community, the doctored photos raise serious questions. How Islamist is this new regime, really? Actions like these undermine their attempts to present a progressive front.
