‘The Protester’ as ‘Person of the Year’ | TIME

It began in Tunisia, where the dictator’s power grabbing and high living crossed a line of shamelessness, and a commonplace bit of government callousness against an ordinary citizen — a 26-year-old street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi — became the final straw. Bouazizi lived in the charmless Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid, 125 miles south of Tunis. On a Friday morning almost exactly a year ago, he set out for work, selling produce from a cart. Police had hassled Bouazizi routinely for years, his family says, fining him, making him jump through bureaucratic hoops. On Dec. 17, 2010, a cop started giving him grief yet again. She confiscated his scale and allegedly slapped him. He walked straight to the provincial-capital building to complain and got no response. At the gate, he drenched himself in paint thinner and lit a match. It was an act that would incite protests that would topple dictators and start a global wave of dissent. In 2011, protesters didn’t just voice their complaints; they changed the world.

The Protester’ has been named Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ for 2011. The magazine cited dissent across the Middle East that has spread to Europe and the United States.

Excerpt, read more: ‘The Protester’ as ‘Person of the Year’|TIME

 

Tortured Boy Becomes Face of Syrian Uprising –By Dominic Waghorn | Sky News

Hamza al Khatib disappeared during demonstrations on April 29 in the south of the country. His mutilated body was returned to his family a month later. In a gruesome video posted on the internet, apparent medical examiners point to gunshot wounds on his corpse.

They claim to have found bruises on his arms and legs, say his neck has been broken and he has been tortured. They also claim his genitals were mutilated.

The body is partly decomposed.

It is impossible to verify the claims, although the puncture holes in his chest and arms look like gunshot wounds. The Syrian government claims Hamza was killed in a shoot-out between armed gangs and guards, but says that there is no evidence of torture.

In a sense the truth about his death is less important than the impact of the video (Warning: Graphic content).

Hamza has been compared to Mohamed Bouazizi, the vegetable seller whose self-immolation sparked the Tunisian revolution.

His story is also reminiscent of Khaled Said‘s, the Egyptian whose death in police custody began the Facebook campaign that started the revolution there.

Hamza al Khatib, 13, who was tortured and murdered by the government has become the face of the Syrian uprising (Photo: AP).

Syria’s uprising has lasted 12 weeks without a focus or symbol.

Despite unleashing the full force of its military on protestors the regime has been unable to quell the unrest. Large protests are continuing, but neither side has yet gained sufficient momentum to overcome the other.

Reprint: Tortured Boy Becomes Face of Syrian Uprising –By Dominic Waghorn | Sky News

Related: We are all Hamza Alkhateeb (facebook page)