Mazen al-Hamada
Mazen al-Hamada | |
|---|---|
مازن الحمادة | |
| Born | 3 July 1977 Deir ez-Zor, Syria |
| Disappeared | 23 February 2020 Damascus International Airport, Syria |
| Died | December 2024 (aged 47) Sednaya Prison, Saidnaya, Rif Dimashq Governorate, Syria |
| Cause of death | Torture, beatings |
| Body discovered | Harasta Military Hospital morgue |
| Resting place | Damascus, Syria |
| Education | Institute of the Petroleum Industry |
| Occupation(s) | Human rights activist, oil and gas technician |
| Known for | Testifying on the tortures he endured and witnessed in Bashar al-Assad's prisons between 2011 and 2013 Being rearrested in 2020 and tortured again, until his execution 4 years later |
| Criminal charges | First arrests for "protest" crimes in 2011 |
| Relatives |
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Mazen al-Hamada (Arabic: مازن الحمادة, romanized: Māzin al-Ḥamāda; 3 July 1977 - c. December 2024) was a Syrian activist from Deir ez-Zor. Hamada was imprisoned and tortured for more than a year and a half for participating in anti-government protests in the context of the Arab Spring in 2011. After being exiled from Syria, he became an asylum seeker in the Netherlands. While residing in Europe, he testified to the abuse he had suffered and witnessed. Hamada became internationally known for his testimony on the crimes of the Ba'athist regime.
In 2020, Hamada decided to return to Syria, only to become the victim of enforced disappearance, when he was arrested upon arrival at the airport by Syrian intelligence. His body was found in Sednaya Prison's morgue on December 9, 2024 after the fall of the Assad regime.
His funeral, held on 12 December, was attended by hundreds of Syrians; he has since been hailed as a martyr and a symbol of the Syrian opposition.