'I wish he'd lived to see new Syria': Crowds bury anti-Assad activist

Mazen al-Hamada, who returned to Syria from the Netherlands, had publicly testified on the torture he faced while in prison.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewsletters'I wish he'd lived to see new Syria' - Crowds bury anti-Assad activistGetty ImagesMourners carried Mazen Al-Hamada's coffin through the streets of Damascus on ThursdayWarning: This article contains graphic details of torture

"We gave our blood and soul to the revolution," crowds chanted, as they carried Mazen Al-Hamada's coffin through the streets of Damascus, draped in the green, white and black flag adopted by protesters back in 2011, now ubiquitous in the city since the fall of Bashar Al-Assad.

As the funeral procession moved forward, more and more people joined it. "Mazen is a martyr," many shouted, some weeping.

If the world knew before this about the extent of the brutality of Assad's regime against its own people, it was in part because of Mazen, an activist who was an outspoken critic of the regime.

On Sunday, his body was found in the notorious "slaughterhouse", Seydnaya prison in Damascus. It bore signs of horrific torture.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c89xgke2x7lo

---