Syria’s 13-Year-Old Martyr

The rebellion in Syria goes on, without much press coverage since reporters have been banned from the country. Still, YouTube remains a means of communication.
On April 29, 13-year-old Hamza Ali al-Khateeb was picked up by Syria’s security forces in Jiza. His family waited for word of his fate for a month; finally, his body was returned. Hamza had been horrifically tortured, to the extent that it was impossible to say which of his wounds finally killed him. The authorities told his family to say nothing about what had happened.

Instead, they filmed a video that showed Hamza’s broken body and posted it on YouTube. In retaliation, Hamza’s father was arrested last week. His whereabouts are unknown, but it seems safe to say his prospects are not good.
Will the self-inflicted torment of the Arab world ever end? And has the State Department finally changed its mind about Assad being a “reformer”?