2024 All Media: International Journalism

The heart-wrenching investigation “Finding Yusuf” raises questions about justice for people with suspected links to terrorism, Australia’s human rights obligations to its citizens, including children, and the right to a fair trial.

Australian Yusuf Zahab was taken to Syria by his family at the age of 12, and after the fall of Islamic State (IS) he disappeared into the men’s prison system. International media, NGOs, the UN, and Yusuf’s family had all tried to locate him without success, and he was feared lost or dead.

Reporter Colin Cosier followed this story for 18 months, winning the trust of Yusuf’s family. He and Agnes Teek travelled to north-east Syria in February 2024 in search of Yusuf. They expected to be chasing a ghost, emblematic of the ‘lost boys’ of Syria, but they found a scared, desperate young man. SBS was the first media organisation to break the news to the family and globally that Yusuf was alive.

Local journalist Mustafa Al-Ali set up meetings with key Kurdish officials who gave Dateline unprecedented access, including an interview with Yusuf’s father, who had been reported dead.

In an interview with Dateline, the former UN special rapporteur Fionnuala Ní Aoláin condemned the countries, including Australia, that continue to leave their citizens in the region, claiming “they are in breach of their international human rights obligations”.

The story had a profound impact for Yusuf’s family, and led MPs, NGOs and advocates to push for answers on what will happen to Yusuf and the other Australian families held without charge in this region.

SBS Dateline is a team of dedicated international current affairs filmmakers. Colin Cosier is a journalist who reports, films and produces. Simon Phegan is an editor/cameraperson, and Louis Dai is a producer/cameraperson and editor. Agnes Teek is a journalist and the series producer. Mustafa Al-Ali is an award-winning local producer.