Amid the destruction and atrocities tearing Syria apart, the ordeal of one young software developer tells its own story of a broken nation.
Bassel Khartabil, a Syrian-Palestinian technology innovator, had two main passions in life: opening up the internet and marrying Noura Ghazi, the love of his life. As an open-source software developer, he has contributed greatly to Wikipedia, Creative Commons, Mozilla Firefox, Openclipart and more. Takingadvantage of his skills as a computer engineer, he promoted online access to knowledge in Syria through his AikiLab, based in Damascus.
His most recent project was a 3D-photo reconstruction of the ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmor), once known for its outstanding monuments. Khartabil used satellite photographs and real visits to the site to re-create a real-time visualisation of the old city, recently taken and vandalised by Isis.
On 15 March 2012, days before he was due to marry Noura, Syrian forces captured him in Damascus, accusing him of “harming state security”. After being interrogated and tortured, it took nine months for his case to be heard before a military court. Without legal representation, he was unable to in effect defend himself and was subsequently sent to Adra Prison.
“Bassel, I am very afraid,” wrote Noura in a public love letter, after marrying him while he was behind bars. “I am afraid about the country that is being slaughtered, divided, bleeding, being destroyed. I am very afraid that our dream is changing from seeing ourselves being the generation freeing their country to the one witnessing its destruction. Bassel, I am very afraid.”
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