5 ms·

Maybe they killed him for some other reason, but what, exactly , did he do that ticked the authorities off? The article doesn't say. Recreating the ancient ci

Maybe they killed him for some other reason, but what, exactly , did he do that ticked the authorities off? The article doesn't say. Recreating the ancient city of Palmyra doesn't seem like something that would engender anger...?

mlinksva 9y ago
65k+ people have been disappeared in Syria, and it's common to not know why, one article about that which also mentions Bassel's wife https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jul/04/families-syria-disappeared-demand-answers-un https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals... In part, it's a racket https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/syria-government-using-thousands-disappeared-people-cash-cow-new-report https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/syria-government-u...
- pcthrowaway 9y ago
  For perspective, that's roughly 1/3 of 1% of Syria's population. I can't imagine what life would be like in the western world if 1 out of every 300 people I knew went missing.
gcoda 9y ago
They are destroying culture on purpose. It's false idols or something, and he is recreating them. Any action against any Islam idea is dangerous
- koenigdavidmj 9y ago
  This was not at the hands of ISIS, but the 'official' Syrian government. Equally scummy, but not generally a group with any interest in destroying historical landmarks for religious reasons.
  - gcoda 9y ago
    I understand this. In a place with a lot of Muslims he will not get much love by trying to undo damage done by Muslim extremist. edit: Not government, just a lot of people with some authority disregarded his life and let him die. In the time of slavery, not everyone hated salves, nobody cared enough if one of them was falsely accused and executed. And this happens a lot, in Muslim countries, mob will decide to stone women, one cop will decide to throw a gay man from the roof, and nobody care enough to lift a finger about it. Not much people will care about a guy who tried to preserve Syrian culture
    - srtjstjsj 9y ago
      Ignorant hatemongering is not welcome on HN.
      - gcoda 9y ago
        I ment it's considered dicatorship, and it is nonsense that any official country would even talk to Assad. I do not believe he is secular dictator, and he is supporting what everyone calls 'terrorists' and they have no value in human life. Maybe I am ignorant, sorry
      - gcoda 9y ago
        Half of world leaders is "Trump like", hate and fear, and they got their supporters. Putin have his true supporters, Assad have, Ukrainian president have a lot of supporters and he said a lot of lies. But for some reason untill Trump won you never understand how much of such people exists. And I am not remotely anti Trump or anti Assad, just consider how much fringe radical groups support Trump, and judging from that I assume people like that are empowered in Syria and Ukraine, maybe I am ignorant, I am judging from the far
  - jim-jim-jim 9y ago
    What's up with the scare quotes around "official?" Is there another Syrian state we're not aware of?
    - koenigdavidmj 9y ago
      I probably meant to type 'legitimate' there. Elected or not, the west prefers that Assad not be in power.
      - jim-jim-jim 9y ago
        "Legitimate" is whatever the west wants?
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
slim 9y ago
He was arrested circa 2012. At that time the regime was arresting every computer engineer, especially if involved with international organisations (such as creative commons). Some of them were harshly interrogated, tortured. Some of them coerced into working for the regime. It was "the revolution of the internet" so the regime made sure nobody could use the internet against him. As of the fate of Bassel (and the others) it is really arbitrary. It depended on who arrested you (military, air force, police,..) and luck within the maze of the chaotic administrations of the different armed forces of the regime

mlinksva 9y ago

65k+ people have been disappeared in Syria, and it's common to not know why, one article about that which also mentions Bassel's wife https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jul/04/families-syria-disappeared-demand-answers-un https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals... In part, it's a racket https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/syria-government-using-thousands-disappeared-people-cash-cow-new-report https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/syria-government-u...

pcthrowaway 9y ago
For perspective, that's roughly 1/3 of 1% of Syria's population. I can't imagine what life would be like in the western world if 1 out of every 300 people I knew went missing.

gcoda 9y ago

They are destroying culture on purpose. It's false idols or something, and he is recreating them. Any action against any Islam idea is dangerous

koenigdavidmj 9y ago
This was not at the hands of ISIS, but the 'official' Syrian government. Equally scummy, but not generally a group with any interest in destroying historical landmarks for religious reasons.
- gcoda 9y ago
  I understand this. In a place with a lot of Muslims he will not get much love by trying to undo damage done by Muslim extremist. edit: Not government, just a lot of people with some authority disregarded his life and let him die. In the time of slavery, not everyone hated salves, nobody cared enough if one of them was falsely accused and executed. And this happens a lot, in Muslim countries, mob will decide to stone women, one cop will decide to throw a gay man from the roof, and nobody care enough to lift a finger about it. Not much people will care about a guy who tried to preserve Syrian culture
  - srtjstjsj 9y ago
    Ignorant hatemongering is not welcome on HN.
    - gcoda 9y ago
      I ment it's considered dicatorship, and it is nonsense that any official country would even talk to Assad. I do not believe he is secular dictator, and he is supporting what everyone calls 'terrorists' and they have no value in human life. Maybe I am ignorant, sorry
    - gcoda 9y ago
      Half of world leaders is "Trump like", hate and fear, and they got their supporters. Putin have his true supporters, Assad have, Ukrainian president have a lot of supporters and he said a lot of lies. But for some reason untill Trump won you never understand how much of such people exists. And I am not remotely anti Trump or anti Assad, just consider how much fringe radical groups support Trump, and judging from that I assume people like that are empowered in Syria and Ukraine, maybe I am ignorant, I am judging from the far
- jim-jim-jim 9y ago
  What's up with the scare quotes around "official?" Is there another Syrian state we're not aware of?
  - koenigdavidmj 9y ago
    I probably meant to type 'legitimate' there. Elected or not, the west prefers that Assad not be in power.
    - jim-jim-jim 9y ago
      "Legitimate" is whatever the west wants?
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]

slim 9y ago

He was arrested circa 2012. At that time the regime was arresting every computer engineer, especially if involved with international organisations (such as creative commons). Some of them were harshly interrogated, tortured. Some of them coerced into working for the regime. It was "the revolution of the internet" so the regime made sure nobody could use the internet against him. As of the fate of Bassel (and the others) it is really arbitrary. It depended on who arrested you (military, air force, police,..) and luck within the maze of the chaotic administrations of the different armed forces of the regime