Karam Alhamad (Arabic: كرم الحمد; born 1990) is a Syrian journalist and human rights activist, and former political detainee. Alhamad is also known for his efforts to cover the Syrian uprising, including being jailed four times between 2011 and 2014.

Early life and education

Alhamad was born in

Deir al-Zour , population_urban = , population_density_urban_km2 = , population_density_urban_sq_mi = , population_blank1_title = Ethnicities , population_blank1 = , population_blank2_title = Religions , population_blank2 = ...

, Syria in 1990. As a child, he was awarded a camera and Internet access for his success in school by the

First Lady of Syria First Lady of Syria () is a title attributed to the spouse of the incumbent president of Syria (currently Bashar al-Assad). For the past 51 years, two consecutive first ladies have come from the same ruling family, the Al-Assad family. List of f ...

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 ...

. Alhamad studied petroleum engineering at Al-Furat University, but was unable to finish his degree due to his multiple arrests. In 2015, he participated in the Leaders of Democracy Fellowship at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (Maxwell School) is the professional public policy school of Syracuse University, a private research university in Syracuse, New York. The school is organized in 11 academic departments and 13 ...

. Alhamad interned at

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

as part of the fellowship. He eventually graduated with a degree in economics, Politics, and Social Thought from Bard College Berlin in 2020.Al-Fanar Media
/ref>Bardian - Spring 2018 by Bard College Bardian - Issuu
/ref> He is scheduled to begin attending Yale University on a scholarship in 2021, studying for an MPP in Global Affairs.Activist Mazen al-Hamada, tortured by Assad regime, disappears after returning to Syria - Washington Post
/ref>

Political activism

During his first year at Al-Furat University, Alhamad published a magazine on campus containing hidden messages speaking out against the

Assad regime Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. Alhamad was arrested for the first time in July 2011 for participating in anti-regime demonstrations.كرم الحمد.. من معتقلات النظام إلى الأمم المتحدة
/ref> He was arrested a second time and jailed for 70 days after he was accused of leading demonstrations. By 2013, Alhamad was also running

's media center, an activist organization that helped document the events of the Syrian civil war. Between his third and fourth arrests, Alhamad befriended American aid worker

Peter Kassig Peter Edward Kassig (February 19, 1988 – November 16, 2014), also known as Abdul-Rahman Kassig, was an American aid worker who was beheaded by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Early life and education Kassig was born and raised in I ...

, who was later killed by ISIS.Young Syrian Lenses: Photo Exhibition and Community Event - Event - Arab America
/ref> After organizing protests in Deir al-Zour, Alhamad was arrested for the fourth time in 2013. He was accused of spying, detained, and tortured in the Far' Falastin prison after a coerced confession. He was released in July 2014, after which he left the country, seeking refuge in Turkey. Alhamad has served as a member of

's local council. In 2015, Alhamad was nominated for membership in the Youth Advisory Board for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, or UN-Habitat.

Career

Alhamad's involvement in journalism began when he was still living in Syria. Before the protests, he had worked for the main newspaper in

. During the protests, Alhamad worked with Reuters to publish photos of political demonstrations and the effects of the Assad regime's actions. After his experiences under the Assad regime, Alhamad began writing articles about the situation in Syria for outlets such as ''

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...

'', '' The Washington Post'',In two charts, this is what refugees say about why they are leaving Syria now - The Washington Post
/ref> '' The Huffington Post'', The New Humanitarian,The New Humanitarian
/ref> and ''

Al Bawaba ''Al Bawaba'' (البوابة, Arabic for "the portal" or "the gate") is a news, blogging and media website headquartered in Amman, Jordan with an office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Since 2001 it publishes the Mena Report, which covers the ...

''. His articles have also been published in scholarly journals such as the '' Yale Journal of International Affairs''The Coming Catastrophe in Syria’s Prisons — Yale Journal of International Affairs
/ref> and '' International Studies Quarterly''.Rebel Group Attrition and Reversion to Violence: Micro-Level Evidence from Syria , International Studies Quarterly , Oxford Academic
/ref> Alhamad has also been quoted as an eyewitness to the Syrian uprising in news outlets such as '' Al Arabiya'' and the Associated Press.In besieged Syrian city, hungry residents sell gold for food - Miami Herald
/ref> Alhamad has also worked as a lead researcher on Eastern Syria, and his research projects have been supported by organizations such as USAID and Harvard University.Karam Alhamad , OEB
/ref> He has worked with officials in the U.S. Embassy as a research coordinator for Eastern Syria-related topics.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alhamad, Karam Living people 1990 births Syrian journalists Syrian human rights activists People from Deir ez-Zor Bard College alumni

Early life and education

Political activism

Career

See also

References