On August 29, 2013, Minnesota-based online news site 'Mint Press News' released an exclusive article detailing independent reporting suggesting that it was Syrian rebels, not the Syrian regime, that carried out a deadly chemical weapons attack on August 21, killing over 1,500 civilians in the Ghouta suburb of Damascus. The report claimed that independent reporting by Yahyah Ababneh, a correspondent on the ground in Syria, concluded that Syrian rebels, supplied by the Saudi regime, launched the chemical weapons. According to Mint Press News, Ababneh conducted interviews with locals on the ground in Syria, including rebels, their family members, and the victims of the attacks. Also credited with writing the article is AP reporter Dale Gavlak, who reportedly 'collaborated with Ababneh' in investigating and writing the report.
The report has been highly controversial since its initial release, with its claims in direct opposition to assessments by intelligence agencies in Israel, the United States, the UK, France, Turkey, and Germany, who have asserted that the Assad regime is to blame. More controversy was sparked when AP reporter Dale Gavlak denied any involvement in writing the article. In a statement to renowned Syrian investigative journalist Brown Moses, she said:
"Mint Press News incorrectly used my byline for an article it published on August 29, 2013 alleging chemical weapons usage by Syrian rebels. Despite my repeated requests, made directly and through legal counsel, they have not been willing to issue a retraction stating that I was not the author. Yahya Ababneh is the sole reporter and author of the Mint Press News piece. To date, Mint Press News has refused to act professionally or honestly in regards to disclosing the actual authorship and sources for this story.
I did not travel to Syria, have any discussions with Syrian rebels, or do any other reporting on which the article is based. The article is not based on my personal observations and should not be given credence based on my journalistic reputation. Also, it is false and misleading to attribute comments made in the story as if they were my own statements."
In response to Gavlak's claims, Mint Press News released an official statement claiming that Gavlak was under 'mounting pressure' from third parties to disassociate herself from the article or face putting her career and reputation at risk. These claims are allegedly substantiated by correspondence via email and phone call between Gavlak and Mint Press News, in which she directly asked them to remove her name from the byline.
Despite disputes between Gavlak and Mint Press News, both parties agree that at least one of the authors of the article was freelance Jordanian reporter Yahyah Ababneh. However, independent research has shed light on Ababneh that may discredit the article entirely.
In the article, it is stated that Ababneh came to the conclusion that the rebels launched the August 21st attacks with support from the Saudi regime in the form of chemical weapons supplies via on the ground interviews with rebels, their families and civilians in the areas affected by the attacks. But a comment made a day before the Mint Press News article was released says otherwise.
A comment by 'Yan Barakat', posted on an opinion article by English foreign correspondent Peter Hitchens, claimed that the rebels, supplied by the Saudi regime, were the true culprits for the attacks. He said:
"The Assad regime will get his army ready with many Iranian soldiers. Some old men arrived in Damascus from Russia and one of them became friends with me. He told me that they have evidence that it was the rebels who used the weapons."
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| Yan Barakat's comment |
Evidence has been uncovered showing that Yan Barakat, the commenter in question, is actually the real name of the 'Yahyah Ababneh' pseudonym. In a Tumblr post by Israeli student Yovav Kalifon on June 8th, he details how he met up with Jordanian freelance journalist Yahyah (Yan) Barakat Ababneh to discuss Israel, Jewish traditions and antisemitism. More evidence is shown in the form of a Youtube video posted to the Youtube account 'Yan Barakat', with the title 'Ababneh Yahya'. The description, in Arabic, reads 'Yahya Ababneh in Russia, with his friends in Russia in St. Petersburg'. At around 0:35 seconds, a man matching images from Yan Barakat's Facebook account walks into the frame.
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| A Facebook photo of Yan Barakat. Notice how the first commenter calls him 'Yahya'. |
Despite the evidence that Yan Barakat fabricated his claims in the story, and Dale Gavlak's repeated attempts to disassociate herself from the article, Mint Press News still refuses to take any action, citing 'journalistic integrity'. With that, we are left to see how they will justify Gavlak's claims, allegations of misconduct, and most importantly Barakat's statement that he was informed of the story by an old Russian man in Damascus.
- Tyler Lawrence
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