Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Home
Business
Business Home
Economy
Technology
Media
Small Business
Legal
Deals
Earnings
Social Pulse
Business Video
The Freeland File
Markets
Markets Home
U.S. Markets
European Markets
Asian Markets
Global Market Data
Indices
M&A
Stocks
Bonds
Currencies
Commodities
Futures
Funds
peHUB
World
World Home
U.S.
Brazil
China
Euro Zone
Japan
Mexico
Russia
India Insight
World Video
Reuters Investigates
Decoder
Politics
Politics Home
Election 2012
Issues 2012
Candidates 2012
Tales from the Trail
Political Punchlines
Supreme Court
Politics Video
Tech
Technology Home
MediaFile
Science
Tech Video
Tech Tonic
Social Pulse
Opinion
Opinion Home
Chrystia Freeland
John Lloyd
Felix Salmon
Jack Shafer
David Rohde
Bernd Debusmann
Nader Mousavizadeh
Lucy P. Marcus
David Cay Johnston
Bethany McLean
Edward Hadas
Hugo Dixon
Ian Bremmer
Mohamed El-Erian
Lawrence Summers
Susan Glasser
The Great Debate
Steven Brill
Jack & Suzy Welch
Breakingviews
Equities
Credit
Private Equity
M&A
Macro & Markets
Politics
Breakingviews Video
Money
Money Home
Tax Break
Lipper Awards 2012
Global Investing
MuniLand
Unstructured Finance
Linda Stern
Mark Miller
John Wasik
James Saft
Analyst Research
Alerts
Watchlist
Portfolio
Stock Screener
Fund Screener
Personal Finance Video
Money Clip
Investing 201
Life
Health
Sports
Arts
Faithworld
Business Traveler
Entertainment
Oddly Enough
Lifestyle Video
Pictures
Pictures Home
Reuters Photographers
Full Focus
Video
Reuters TV
Reuters News
Article
Comments (1)
Full Focus
Editor's choice
Our top photos from the last 24 hours. Full Article
Images of February
Follow Reuters
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
YouTube
Read
Republican budget draws election contrast with Obama
2:50pm EDT
Iran will attack to defend itself: Khamenei
2:36pm EDT
Big earthquake hits Mexico, no major damage reported
|
4:39pm EDT
Starbucks goes beyond coffee with first juice bar
19 Mar 2012
Anger in Israel over EU comments on school shooting
10:41am EDT
Discussed
187
Dozens arrested at Occupy’s 6-month anniversary rally
155
Exclusive: U.S., Britain to agree emergency oil stocks release
119
Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood
Watched
Flying robot swarms the future of search and rescue
7:42am EDT
Benghazi marks first anniversary of victory over Gaddafi forces
Mon, Mar 19 2012
Strong 7.6 earthquake rattles Mexico City
3:15pm EDT
Syrian cartoonist paid price for getting personal
Tweet
Share this
Email
Print
Related News
Turkey considers Syria buffer zone; Annan seeks unity
Fri, Mar 16 2012
Syrian forces press offensive in Idlib, 45 killed
Thu, Mar 15 2012
Syria marks anniversary of uprising, violence grows
Wed, Mar 14 2012
Analysis: One year on, Syria's Assad won't bow to uprising
Wed, Mar 14 2012
Annan ends Syria visit with no clear progress
Sun, Mar 11 2012
Analysis & Opinion
The time for talks in Syria has passed
We are letting Assad win
Related Topics
Entertainment »
Fashion »
World »
Arts »
Syria »
Syrian artist Ali Ferzat reacts during an interview with Reuters alongside his artworks being exhibited at the Mica Gallery in London March 19, 2012. Picture taken March 19, 2012.
Credit: Reuters/Luke MacGregor
By Mike Collett-White
LONDON |
Tue Mar 20, 2012 1:15pm EDT
LONDON (Reuters) - The moment Syrian cartoonist Ali Farzat chose to depict President Bashar al-Assad and his "inner circle" in his drawings, he knew he was courting trouble.
The 60-year-old, famous across the Arab world and beyond for bitingly satirical works ridiculing corruption, nepotism and narrow-mindedness, had always avoided identifying individuals in his art.
That was until a few months before the uprising against Assad began last year, at which point Farzat felt the president had gone too far in stifling freedom of expression and crushing dissent. That's when it got personal.
"I made that shift from using symbols to portraying actual figures, and little by little I began to see my cartoons being carried by protesters," Farzat said, surrounded by his works on display at the Mica Gallery in central London.
"They became a symbol for them."
One of his first cartoons portraying Assad -- long a taboo in Syria -- showed the president reluctantly ripping a page off a calendar on Thursday, knowing that Friday would bring another wave of popular protests to the streets of Syria.
In another, Assad tries to hitch a lift with outgoing Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, and a third shows Assad beside a large armchair, unable to sit down because the springs have broken.
"Even the chair won't accept him any more," Farzat explained with a smile.
When the revolt against Assad kicked off, Farzat received threatening phone calls and messages, but not even that prepared him for the ferocity of the attack which came in the early hours of August 25 as he left his Damascus studio.
Three masked men he described as "thugs of Assad" dragged him from his car and beat him with batons before putting him in their own vehicle and continuing the assault.
"I could hear them saying 'break his hands so they never dare challenge his masters again'," he told Reuters, speaking through an interpreter.
"They hit me and hit me, on my head, on one hand and then the other and were trying to make sure they broke them.
"I had concussion and bruises over the whole of my body. My hands were broken so badly that the movement is still limited."
Dumped on the side of the street, possibly for dead, Farzat was picked up by a stranger and taken to hospital where he recovered. He later left for Kuwait where he has a "residency".
The attack triggered outrage in Syria, where it was taken as a sign that Assad's government would brook no dissent, even from a man who once knew the president personally.
PROGRESS FLOWERS, BUT BRIEFLY
Farzat recalled meeting Assad in the 1990s when he was the president's son, and enjoying a dialogue in which the future leader earnestly sought the views of the "man on the street".
Assad would visit his exhibitions and discuss political issues with Farzat and fellow artists and intellectuals, and Farzat established the satirical Al-Domari publication.
A brief period of openness in the early 2000s ended suddenly, Farzat said, forcing the closure of Al-Domari and prompting many like-minded thinkers to move abroad.
"I don't know what happened all of a sudden," Farzat said.
"It was as if he (Assad) was there and, when we looked again, he was gone. We couldn't communicate with him, we couldn't get through. We used to be able to talk to him. He completely vanished."
As long ago as 2007, Farzat warned of impending crisis in Syria if the government did not reform.
Now that a full-scale revolt is underway, he believes there is no turning back.
"The real measure is not time, the real measure is that we have managed to break the barrier of fear," he said.
"At that point the revolution became victorious. The question is always 'when will it end?' I don't know, but it has already triumphed.
"People are not going to go back to the way they used to live. There is no way you can go back to the way things were before this revolution started."
The cartoonist, who reportedly received a death threat from Saddam Hussein in the 1980s, has not given up on the idea of returning to Syria from self-imposed exile.
"Every day I say I will go back to Damascus. Every day people say to me 'don't go back, it's too dangerous.'
"One of these days I am just going to do it, because the reality is I can't stay away from my country for much longer."
He has returned to work after the attack, although the movement in his hands is restricted. One of his most recent cartoons shows a tiny flower lifting a tank into the air as it sprouts from the ground.
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White,)
Entertainment
Fashion
World
Arts
Syria
Tweet this
Link this
Share this
Digg this
Email
Reprints
Entertainment News From the Wrap
Kate Hudson and Matt Bellamy Not Married, Goldie Hawn Now Says
4:22pm EDT
Would-be mother in law Goldie Hawn clarifies that daughter Kate Hudson and her fiance Matt Bellamy haven't tied the knot, after saying they did in an interview
Inside the 'Dancing With the Stars' Post-Premiere Soiree
4:01pm EDT
The "Dancing With the Stars" cast begins its weekly soirees, Armie Hammer arrives late for the "Mirror, Mirror" premiere and Connor Cruise is a high-priced DJ
Sony Names New Digital Leader for Home Entertainment
3:09pm EDT
Jim Underwood replaces out-going John Calkins as exec VP of worldwide digital and commercial strategy
Esperanza Spalding Review: 'Radio' Heralds Jazz's First Music-Video Star
3:03pm EDT
New album establishes Spalding as that rarest of things, a jazz singer capable of crossing over with self-penned tunes
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (1)
MetalHead8 wrote:
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Back to top
Reuters.com
Business
Markets
World
Politics
Technology
Opinion
Money
Pictures
Videos
Site Index
Legal
Bankruptcy Law
California Legal
New York Legal
Securities Law
Support & Contact
Support
Corrections
Advertise With Us
Connect with Reuters
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
RSS
Podcast
Newsletters
Mobile
About
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
AdChoices
Copyright
Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider
An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution
A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance
Our next generation legal research platform
Our global tax workstation
Thomsonreuters.com
About Thomson Reuters
Investor Relations
Careers
Contact Us
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.