The Syrian regime’s brutal attack on the Arab world’s most famous cartoonist Ali Ferzat is being seen as a warning to others - and it’s not the first time that Damascus has targeted artists.

On Wednesday night, Ali Ferzat, the 2002 winner of the Dutch Prince Claus Prize, was admitted to Al-Razi hospital with serious injuries. According to members of the Syrian opposition, he was kidnapped and beaten by soldiers loyal to the Assad regime.

The soldiers concentrated their beatings on Ferzat's hands and head. The opposition activists say the attack on Ferzat is reminiscent of an earlier attack: the protest singer Ibrahim Qashoush - who, like Ferzat, comes from Hamaa - was murdered in July. His vocal cords and Adam’s apple had been removed.

Before the attack on Ferzat had been reported, rumours were rife in Damascus about an attack on a local cartoonist.

Caricature on the wall
A Dutch contact in Damascus told RNW, “a cartoonist who was drawing a caricature on a wall was arrested. He was so badly tortured that his family had to pick up his body from the police station in a coffin. He was buried yesterday".

Ali Ferzat has been a prominent critic of the Syrian regime for many years. In 2001 he started the satirical magazine Al-Domari. It was the first independent weekly published since the Ba'ath party took power power in 1963.Thanks to his good relations with the al-Assad regime, things went smoothly for a few years but Ferzat was forced to cease publication in 2003.

Honest
According to the 2002 Prince Claus jury report, Ferzat cartoons create room for debate and social commentary.

"His pointed caricatures, published in the domestic and foreign press, inspire his ‘readers’ to reach sincere interpretations of their daily lives and to consider politics, economics and society from new angles."

Christa Meindersma from the Prins Claus Fund Ali Ferzat is a champoin of free speech.

“He's someone who inspires others with his critical cartoons. He is an artist with a lot of influence, which extends far beyond Syria. He is someone who continues to exercise his right of free speech in very difficult circumstances."

Facebook
Ms Meindersma said she was extremely shocked by the news and called Ferzat “one of the bravest people in Syria". He has been very active during the current uprising and has published a cartoon almost every day, including via a Facebook page. Although it claims to be his official page, it's not clear who started it. When the news of his attack was released, several different pages supporting him were opened.

According to the well-known Libyan cartoonist Al-Saatour, “The Syrian regime saw how effective and influential cartoons were in Libya and is now attempting to get ahead of the danger”. He believes the attack on Ferzat will backfire against the Assad regime.

“This attack will only make things more difficult for the Syrian rulers because this is a person who is a source of inspiration for many many artists. What happened is terrible but because it makes it so clear how that regime thinks about art, it will only make artists even more determined to keep working”.

A spokesperson for the Al-Razi hospital has confirmed that Ferzat has been discharged. Although he is said to have returned home, Ferzat’s telephone is not being answered.