Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb ( ar, حمزة علي الخطيب; October 24, 1997 – May 25, 2011) was a 13-year-old Syrian boy who died while in the custody of the Syrian government in

Daraa Daraa ( ar, دَرْعَا, Darʿā, Levantine Arabic: , also Darʿā, Dara’a, Deraa, Dera'a, Dera, Derʿā and Edrei; means "''fortress''", compare Dura-Europos) is a city in southwestern Syria, located about north of the border with Jordan ...

. 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 was depicted, thousands of people showed their support for Hamza online and in street protests.

Background

Hamza lived with his parents in the village of

al-Jeezah Al-Jeezah is a district number 22 out of 27 in the Amman Governorate of north-western Jordan. History In 634, al-Jizah was inhabited by Arab Christian tribe Kalb. However, they were conquered by Khalid ibn Walid during the Muslim conquest ...

Daraa Governorate Daraa Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة درعا / ALA-LC: ') is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in the south-west of the country and covers an area of 3,730 km2. It is bordered by Jordan to the south, Qune ...

. He enjoyed watching his homing pigeons fly above his house since drought had left him unable to enjoy swimming. 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 Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

Torture

Al-Jazeera reported that he was not interested in politics, according to an unnamed cousin, 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 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." One source says that Hamza had been among 51 protesters detained by Air Force Intelligence, which detainees allegedly described as having a reputation for brutal torture.

Mutilation

A video of his body filmed several days after his death showed numerous injuries, including broken bones, gunshot wounds, burn marks, and mutilated genitals. ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' summarized: "His jaw and both kneecaps had been smashed. His flesh was covered with

cigarette burns Cigarette burns are usually deliberate injuries caused by pressing a lit cigarette to the skin. They are a common form of child abuse and torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons suc ...

. His penis had been cut off. Other injuries appeared to be consistent with the use of electroshock devices and being whipped with a cable." Following the broadcast, by Al Jazeera, of a video showing Hamza's body there was widespread outrage, both online and amongst the protesters in Syria. In response to Al Jazeera's story, the chief of Syria regime’s medical examiners association, denied that Hamza was tortured.

Backlash and impact

Hamza's name became a rallying cry for protesters. A

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page honouring him had more than 105,000 followers by May 2011. Following the pattern of demonstrators calling Fridays a "day of rage", Saturdays in Syria were called the "day of Hamza". On May 31, 2011, U.S. Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

marked his death as a turning point in the Syrian uprising, indicating that it "symbolises for many Syrians ... the total collapse of any effort by the Syrian government to work with and listen to their own people". On March 14, 2012, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' released 3,000 emails leaked from

Asma al-Assad Asma Fawaz al-Assad (born 11 August 1975) is the First Lady of Syria. Born and raised in London to Syrian parents, she is married to the 19th and current President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad. Assad graduated from King's College London in 1996 ...

, Bashar al-Assad's wife, and her father, Fawas Akhras. Akhras had emailed Bashar al-Assad, instructing him to respond to allegations that children are tortured in Syria by dismissing it as "British propaganda".

References

External links