Since when did silence serve us?

Thousands have disappeared in Syria under the Ba'ath party, in it's 42 year rule, especially since March 15th (though don't be disillusioned to think that many weren't detained prior to the uprising). Among the thousands are men and women, young and old, of various professions, including students. Why? To oppress people into silence; to not question authority or to raise their voice against a brutal regime.

I hope to make a blog post for those who have died, for those who have disappeared and also for those who have been detained, to honour their courage and bravery and also the sacrifices and risks they've taken for a better future for us all. I will never be able to do justice to any of them nor will I be able to cover the vast numbers who have been killed or detained though I do hope you'll bear with me whilst I'll try to cover as many as I can. As I've mentioned, thousands have been detained by the Syrian regime and many more whose whereabouts are unknown. I hope that by sharing individual stories, not only will we be able to honour each and every individual who's sacrificed so much for us, I hope that it will also vocalise a silent majority, who are still too scared to speak up their views; since when did silence serve us?

Yesterday, I wrote about Yaman Al Qadri, an 18 year old dermatology student at Damascus University, who was brutally assaulted and consequently arrested. I hope to continue to highlight the many people who've been detained, tortured and killed.

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Hussein Ghrer, a prominent Syrian blogger, disappeared after leaving his home on 24/10/2011. Circumstances of his arrest, condition and whereabouts are unknown, according to the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression. Days prior to his disappearance, he wrote on his blog: 

"Silence doesn’t serve us after today. We don’t want a country where we get imprisoned for uttering a word. We want a country that embraces and welcomes words." 

He also writes: “As bloggers, we have nothing but our writing to express a very little part of what hurts us so much. Our hearts ache in front of this monster that´s called corruption, protected by the force of security law, which is above any other law in this country.” 

His blog focuses on news about detained bloggers in Syria (his last post being on he arrest of Syrian blogger Anas Maarawi, who has since been released), the ongoing revolution, and Israel's occupation of Palestinian and Syrian territories, as well as other topics. 

Among his last words on his blog were “Note to intelligence and security forces: If you don’t like what I’m saying and you want to arrest me, send me a message and I’ll give you my full address so we can finish this according to your way.” 

Activists have put together a Facebook campaign calling for his release as well as calling for Syrian authorities to disclose information about Hussein Ghrer and release those detained in violation of the law and human rights. Follow the hashtag #FreeHussein on Twitter to follow more recent updates on his disappearance.

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