Syrian Security Forces Break the Hands of Political Cartoonist Ali Ferzat - Polidicks

[url=http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/08/26/ali-ferzat-syria-cartoonist-hands-broken/]Source[/url] [release]Prominent Syrian cartoonist and human rights advocate Ali Ferzat was hospitalized for serious injuries Thursday morning after being kidnapped near his Damascus home by a group of masked gunmen believed to be part of the government's security forces under President Bashar al-Assad. The gunmen beat the 60-year-old Ferzat, singed his beard, broke both of his hands, covered his head with a bag and dumped him by the side of the road, threatening the cartoonist that the attack was "just a warning." Though they often deal with controversial social and political issues, by American standards Ferzat's cartoons are visually tame and contain the kind of all-ages gags one might read in a newspaper's sports or business pages. Ferzat's latest cartoon compared Assad to the recently ousted Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, depicting Syria's president as a hitchhiker. The simplicity of the gag underscores both the horror of Ferzat's attack and also his medium of choice's power as a tool for mass communication: [img]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.comicsalliance.com/media/2011/08/ferzatstrip.jpg[/img] According to The Washington Post, attempts by Syria's government to quash political dissent have escalated over the past several weeks, namely among writers, actors and other expressive professionals. Opposition activists say that more than 2,200 dissidents have been killed since mid-March alone. The White House condemned Assad's regime in a recent statement by State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, citing Ferzat's attack and related violations of human rights. "While making empty promises about dialogue with the Syrian people, the Assad regime continues to carry out brutal attacks against peaceful Syrians trying to exercise their universal right to free expression," Nuland continued. "We demand that the Assad regime immediately stop its campaign of terror through torture, illegal imprisonment and murder." "We are all Ali Ferzat," his Arabic-language Facebook fan page reads, a reminder that freedom of expression is not to be taken for granted in a world where rulers can be easily stirred by the commanding simplicity of a gifted cartoonist's work. [/release] How did Ferzat respond you ask? By drawing a picture [img]http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqk23nm2aA1r00k8bo1_500.jpg[/img]

Tough son of a bitch, he's lucky they left him alive. What a dick move though, going after a cartoonist. The Syrian government needs to go.

The cartoonist is a badass. The Syrian Government can go suck a dick.

What cowards, breaking the hands of a cartoonist

the short guys face to the far left of the picture looks like an ass.

[QUOTE=SamsUncle;31966485]the short guys face to the far left of the picture looks like an ass.[/QUOTE] Thats intentional.

[img]http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqk23nm2aA1r00k8bo1_500.jpg[/img] this is inspirational

The picture he drew AFTER they broke his hands makes me laugh.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/W7rJX.jpg[/IMG]

Even after they broke his hands, he can still draw infinity better than I can.

[QUOTE=minilandstan;31966868]Even after they broke his hands, he can still draw infinity better than I can.[/QUOTE] even though they broke his hands he still manages to say a "fuck you" to the government

Best fucking cartoon ever. Should become a part of the official imagery of the Syrian revolutionary group. Giving tyranny and censorship the finger in the most poignant way ever.

[QUOTE=Stormcharger;31966778][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/W7rJX.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] now that just ruins the poignancy

There wasn't really any poignancy in the original either, its just a giant fuck you to the syrian goverment.

Sad is that unless somebody helps to clean him up to somewhere safe, out of syria, he will most probably get killed. I have to say that his answer after getting beaten this badly is damn badass.

Man, this is the shit that pisses me off, the syrian top leaders are ruling hitler-style, pretty much killing/breaking the spirit of anything that even REMOTELY opposes them. Even a thing like a cartoonist drawing a funny picture makes them think they have the right to kill them. I truly, honestly hope that those leaders die in a fire. Preferably one caused by their own people.

Now you know you're a badass when you draw cartoons with broken hands, and insult your captors at the same time.

Fucking hell, overreaction much? Thats what happens when you take your irrational beliefs too far out of the house (religion). There is no place whatsoever for the legislation of personal morality in government and this shows what can happen if it all goes too far.

This man has some serious fucking balls.

[QUOTE=thisispain;31966749][img]http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqk23nm2aA1r00k8bo1_500.jpg[/img] this is inspirational[/QUOTE] Looks like he wants to punch anybody viewing it in the face.

[QUOTE=JustExtreme;31967473]Fucking hell, overreaction much? Thats what happens when you take your irrational beliefs too far out of the house (religion). There is no place whatsoever for the legislation of personal morality in government and this shows what can happen if it all goes too far.[/QUOTE] Religion? Personal morality? What are you on brotato A dictator doesn't want anyone undermining his tyrant rule so he silences him. I fail to see where religion fits into any of this [editline]27th August 2011[/editline] then again its FP so I guess you think religion also caused cancer

I commend this man for showing the government that beat him, and then threatened more violence should he continue, that he isn't afraid.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/ysNml.png[/img] ???

What a boss.

Damascus, you say? [img]http://brutalgamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/134551-assasins-creed.jpg[/img] Seriously though, what the fuck.

This guy has balls bigger than an elephant. Hope nothing else happens to him.

Okay, now that's pretty awesome.

[QUOTE=JustExtreme;31967473]Fucking hell, overreaction much? Thats what happens when you take your irrational beliefs too far out of the house (religion). There is no place whatsoever for the legislation of personal morality in government and this shows what can happen if it all goes too far.[/QUOTE] This has nothing to do with religion, it was a guy poking fun at the Syrian government, who subsequently overreacted.

No sense of humor, both drawings are hilarious.

[QUOTE=kaine123;31978684]This has nothing to do with religion, it was a guy poking fun at the Syrian government, who subsequently overreacted.[/QUOTE] Overreacted is something of a delicate way to put it.