'Hope you know in heaven we freed Syria': Anti-Assad activist Mazen al-Hamada remembered amid regime change

A renowned Syrian pro-democracy activist Mazen al-Hamada who exposed the brutal torture in Assad's prisons, passed away just days before witnessing the regime's downfall. in a hospital near Damascus.

His niece, Joud al-Hamada, shared the news on Facebook Tuesday, stating he was likely dead for a week before being found.She further claimed that he was tortured to death.

A funeral took place in Damascus on Thursday. The procession featured hundreds of mourners who held his photographs while following his casket through the crowded streets, according to New York times report.

Al-Hamada documented his own experiences and those of other detainees. He left Syria for the Netherlands in 2014, but his family believes he was lured back in 2020 under false pretenses.

His death sparked widespread sorrow, especially given its timing during a pivotal moment in Syrian history. Mouaz Moustafa, director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, said,"I'm sorry I couldn't save you." Moustafa worked with al-Hamada to publicize the Assad government’s actions.

Al-Hamada, initially employed by Schlumberger, became a protester and citizen journalist during the 2011 uprising. He was arrested twice, once in 2011 and again in 2012 for allegedly smuggling baby formula, enduring over a year of harsh imprisonment. After his release, he sought asylum in the Netherlands in 2014, subsequently speaking globally about his experiences.

While Al-Hamada gained recognition for detailing abuses, including rape, in Assad's prisons, reliving his trauma affected him, according to people close to him. Friends noted his increasing isolation and a shift in his social media posts from accounts of regime crimes to sometimes hateful statements against minorities.

Sakir Khader, a friend of al-Hamada, said, "Mazen had endured torture so cruel, so unimaginable, that his retellings carried an almost otherworldly weight." Khader noted al-Hamada's commitment to exposing the Syrian regime's secrets but acknowledged his deep trauma.

Al-Hamada's accounts resonated, but friends observed his struggles. Omar Abu Layla, who knew al-Hamada, said, “The one thing you noticed about Mazen was how much he is crying. He speaks, and his tears come down like a river.” The Syrian Emergency Task Force, in a biography, noted, "The tears shed by his audiences did not translate into tangible efforts to bring justice to the victims."

Khaled Al Haj Saleh, another friend in the Netherlands, said, "As a friend, it was increasingly difficult to be close to him. Not because I didn't want to, but because we didn't really know how to help him." Saleh described al-Hamada's increasingly erratic online behavior, stating, "But more than livestreaming it was a live screaming."

According to Khader, al-Hamada's mental state, eviction, and pressure from Dutch authorities may have influenced his 2020 return to Syria, where he was immediately arrested. Moustafa said, "I hope you know in heaven that we freed Syria after all"