Death of Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb

Death of Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb
Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb
Born حمزة علي الخطيب
October 24, 1997
Died May 2011 (aged 13)
Syria
Nationality Syrian
Known for Detainment and alleged torture during 2011 Syrian protests led to mass online and public support

Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb (حمزة علي الخطيب :Arabic) (October 24, 1997 – May 2011) was a 13-year-old Syrian boy who died while in the custody of the Syrian government[1] in Daraa during the 2011 Syrian uprising. On April 29, 2011, he was detained during a protest. On May 25, 2011, his body was delivered to his family, having been badly bruised, along with burn marks, three gunshot wounds, and severed genitals. Hamza's family distributed photos and video of his body to journalists and activists. Shocked by what those depicted, thousands of people showed their support for Hamza online and in street protests. Many news organizations described Hamza as the new symbol of the Syrian revolution.

Contents

Background

Hamza lived with his parents in a village called Al Jeezah or Al Giza in Daraa Governorate.[2] He was a seventh-grade student who enjoyed swimming and watching his collected homing pigeons fly above his house. He had a reputation for being generous. "He would often ask his parents for money to give to the poor. I remember once he wanted to give someone 100 Syrian Pounds ($2), and his family said it was too much. But Hamza said, 'I have a bed and food while that guy has nothing.' And so he persuaded his parents to give the poor man the 100," his cousin told Al Jazeera.[3]

Hamza's family reported that he was not interested in politics, but on April 29, 2011, he joined his family in a rally to break the siege of the city of Daraa. "Everybody seemed to be going to the protest, so he went along as well," said his cousin. Hamza walked with friends and family 12 km along the road from his Al Jeezah north-west to Saida. Firing began almost as the protesters reached Saida. Hamza's cousin reported: "People were killed and wounded, some were arrested. It was chaotic we didn't know at that point what had happened to Hamza. He just disappeared." Sources confirmed that Hamza had been among 51 protesters detained by Air Force Intelligence, which detainees described as having a reputation for brutal torture.[3]

Torture

A still image from the video Hamza's relatives made chronicling his various wounds, following the return of his body to them by the Syrian government, one month after Hamza was detained

A video of his body filmed several days after his death showed numerous injuries, including broken bones, gunshot wounds, burn marks, and mutilated genitals.[4] The Globe and Mail summarized: "His jaw and both kneecaps had been smashed. His flesh was covered with cigarette burns. His penis had been cut off. Other injuries appeared to be consistent with the use of electroshock devices and being whipped with a cable."[2]

After Al-Jazeera broadcast a portion of a narrated video showing Hamza’s mutilated body in the last week of May, outrage broke out online and in the protests in Syria.[2]

In response to Al Jazeera's story, the chief of Syria's medical examiners association, Dr. Akram El-Shaar, denied that Hamza was tortured. El-Shaar said that he supervised the autopsy in Damascus and that the boy did not have any sign of torture. He also claimed that Hamza had been shot in the Daraa riot and that all signs of disfigurement were due to decay.[5][6][7][8]

Backlash and impact

Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb hunting Bashar Al-Assad by Carlos Latuff.

Hamza's name has become a rallying cry for protesters. A Facebook page honoring his death currently has more than 105,000 connections by the end of July 2011.[9] Following the pattern of demonstrators calling Fridays a "day of rage", Saturdays in Syria are being called the "day of Hamza".[2]

On May 31, 2011, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton marked the boy's death as a turning point in the Syrian uprising, indicating that it "symbolizes for many Syrians ... the total collapse of any effort by the Syrian government's to work with and listen to their own people".[10]

The current wave of political upheaval in the Middle East has been driven by public shock in response to several deaths. Hamza joins Neda Agha-Soltan in Iran, Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia, and Khaled Saeed in Egypt as ordinary citizens who were turned into martyrs.[2][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Londo, Ernesto (2011-05-29). "Apparent torture of boy reinvigorates Syria’s protest movement". Washingtonpost.com. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/torture-of-boy-reinvigorates-syrias-protest-movement/2011/05/29/AGPwIREH_story.html. Retrieved 2011-06-02. 
  2. ^ a b c d e Sonia Verma. "How a 13-year-old became a symbol of Syrian revolution". Toronto: The Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/how-the-corpse-of-a-13-year-old-became-a-symbol-of-syrian-revolution/article2043699/. Retrieved 2011-06-02. 
  3. ^ a b Hugh Macleod and Annasofie Flamand. "Tortured and killed: Hamza al-Khateeb, age 13 - Features". Al Jazeera English. http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/05/201153185927813389.html. Retrieved 2011-06-02. 
  4. ^ Sundby, Alex. "Syrian boy's brutal death rouses protesters". Cbsnews.com. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20067582-503543.html. Retrieved 2011-06-02. 
  5. ^ "حريات وحقوق - أخبار - تعذيب حتى الموت في سوريا". Aljazeera.net. 2011-05-27. http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/814DF5FF-A6CC-4C04-A549-5BE82204F108.htm. Retrieved 2011-06-02. 
  6. ^ "The story of Hamza a 13-year-old boy - CNN iReport". Ireport.cnn.com. 2011-05-27. http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-614030?ref=feeds%2Flatest. Retrieved 2011-06-02. 
  7. ^ Londo, Ernesto (2011-05-29). "Torture of boy reinvigorates Syria’s protest movement". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/torture-of-boy-reinvigorates-syrias-protest-movement/2011/05/29/AGPwIREH_story.html. Retrieved 2011-06-02. 
  8. ^ "The True Story of Hamza al-Khateeb's Death Belies Media Fabrications". Syrian Arab News Agency: SANA, Damascus Syria - syria news. http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/06/01/350065.htm. Retrieved 2011-06-02. 
  9. ^ "كلنا الشهيد الطفل حمزة علي الخطيب" (in Arabic). Facebook. May 2011. http://www.facebook.com/hamza.alshaheed. Retrieved 2 June 2011. 
  10. ^ "API report, "Clinton says death, alleged tortured of boy shows 'total collapse' of Syria’s reform effort"". Reuters via Dawn.com. http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/01/clinton-citing-syrian-boy-sees-total-collapse.html. Retrieved 2011-06-02. 
  11. ^ "Syrian unrest: Inquiry into Hamza al-Khatib's death". BBC News, Bbc.co.uk. 2011-06-01. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13622959. Retrieved 2011-06-02. 

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