Saturday, October 20, 2007

Syria: more victims of Internet repression ."a tribute to Karim"


By Andre


On June 7, the Mantaqa Branch of Military Intelligence detained Karim ‘Arbaji, 29, allegedly for moderating www.akhawia.net, a popular online forum for Syrian youth covering social and political issues. Persons familiar with the case told Human Rights Watch that the Mantaqa Branch may have transferred him to the Palestine Branch in Damascus, but the authorities have provided no official notification of ‘Arbaji’s whereabouts.


taken from Sami Bin Ghariba report for Global voices advocacy, please read the whole report for more information on Karim and other activists who were detained as well.
thanks to Golaniya for providing the link


i used to blog about freedom of expression detainees in Syria, but this post has an entire different meaning since I knew Karim in person, his family and his friends. It is interesting how some unfortunate familiar events take a whole different meaning once they involve someone whom we know, and not just a name.

This post is not a tribute to Karim himself, but to every “Karim” who was kidnapped by “them” because he dared to dream of a better future.

this is Karim's "will" that he wrote in his forum 8 months before the detention:


هلأ وصيتي الكم (تقرأ في حال تعبّينا)

للملحدين...
يا ملحدين
يا كفرة
يللي ما تعرفوش ربنا
اذكرونا بالخير كل ما تسمعوا فيروز و مارسيل خليفة

للمؤمنين...
ادعولنا شباب و صبايا
ادعولنا الله يشيل عنا و عنكم و عن حبابكم
ادعولنا الله يتوه طريقهم و ما يعرفولنا طريق

لجماعة المعارضة
عباية يا شباب عباية

و خصوصي بنوتة عيونا زرقا ... خراس و سد بوزك هالكام يوم، الشغلة مو عنترة ... لازم حدا يضل برا مشان يتابع الاخبار

لجماعة الموالاة
لك نيالكم ما اهنا بالكم

للمشرفين:
انتوا احلى عيلة ممكن حدا يتعرف عليها
خليكم ايد وحدة متل ما بعرفكم

للحكيم:
لا تواخزنا خيو ... وجعنالك راسك
شكرا جزيلا على مساحة الحرية يللي وفرتها للشباب و الصبايا
و سامحني على اخطائي و ازا خيبت املك

لك دخيل رب سوريا ما احلاها
amarta

و دمتم للحرية

1 comment:

Arab Democracy said...

A beautiful poem.

Egypt and Syria. Two states at both end of the spectrum by western standards. One a model ally , the other a pariah state. But both united in intolerance, repression and the absence of democracy.

To both Karims, one Egyptian, the other Syrian we wish Freedom and the best of luck

JEK