Hamza Ali al-Khatib, a 13-year old boy, was attending a protest calling for the end of the siege of Der`a. He was one of the many individuals detained that day as part of a brutal crackdown on the protest. One month later, his body was released to his family with clear signs that he had been tortured. Videos of his bruised, battered, and tortured body circulated the internet, culminating in a "We Are All the Martyr Hamza Ali al-Khatib" Facebook page.
As outrage over Hamza`s torture and death spread, what appeared to be a dying protest movement has been re-energized this past weekend. In response, the Syrian regime arrested Hamza`s father, Ali al-Khatib. There are fears that his arrest is part of a plan to force Ali to publicly state that his son Hamza was not killed by the Syrian regime but rather by "terrorists."
The below video was recorded on May 25th, 2011, and is of the funeral procession of Hamza Ali al-Khatib that took place in the town of Jizah.