Because she is a woman

Syrians “hide” Baerbock in official photos

Annalena Baerbock Ahmad al-Sharaa , Jean-Noel Barrot(Bild: AP/SANA via AP)

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was in Syria on behalf of the EU to talk to the new leadership about restarting relations. She experienced first-hand that women's rights are in danger after the fall of the Assad regime and that, as in Afghanistan, they are apparently not supposed to be seen. 

As RTL journalist Sergej Maier uncovered, photos of her visit are being circulated in Syria in which she has been made unrecognizable. 

Women? Unwanted!
According to the German news portal "ntv", four photos of the diplomatic meeting appeared on Friday evening on a news channel called Almharar, which is associated with Syria's new rulers. Baerbock has been digitally blurred in the images, while the French foreign minister is clearly visible in the pictures. Two female interpreters who helped with the talks were also "erased". Women? Unwanted!

Handshake refused on arrival
It all started when the Foreign Minister arrived: de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa refused to shake Baerbock's hand. Reason: alleged religious views of the Islamist leadership. 

"Even when I arrived, it was clear to me that there would obviously be no ordinary handshakes here," she said diplomatically in response to a journalist's question. But it had also been made clear to the Islamist hosts that they disapproved of this practice, said Baerbock.

Above all, it had been made clear during the talks that women's rights are a measure of how free a society is, said Baerbock. At the end of the conversation, a handshake no longer seemed quite so difficult. It was reported from delegation circles that al-Sharaa had extended his hand again at the end of the conversation, but that there had then been no further handshake.