Anti-Assad protests and violence began in January of 2011 as part of the Arab Spring and have been continuing since then, escalating into what could well be described as a civil war. However, few foreign journalists are allowed inside Syria, limiting the amount of footage reaching the world's eyes.
Citizen journalists, many of them part of the opposition, have turned to YouTube and other video platforms as a way to get their message broadcast outside the country's borders.
Click through our gallery below for five of the most interesting and prolific YouTube users following the Syrian situation. Do you think citizen journalists have filled the media's role in this troubled country? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
NOTE: Extremely graphic content. The views expressed in any of the videos below do not necessarily represent those of Mashable. We attempted to gather a wide array of political viewpoints in the following collection.