Ali Ferzat, the cartoonist of the Syrian Revolution: the regime of Bashar Alassad broke my hands to keep me from drawing.

Ali Ferzat got yesterday the prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought,  from the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schultz. He had to get this prize at the end of the year 2011, but he had to flee Syria and was stuck in Kuwait with passport problems. He is a master of political satire, he used his pen as a weapon against dictators from all over the world, especially the Middle East. He thus became the leader of the Union of Cartoonist in the Middle East. He made more than 15.000 cartoons, making fun of dictators.  He was especially disliked by Saddam Hussein, who in the 1989 threatened him with death.

When in March of 2011 the Arab spring started in Syria, his cartoons became more even bolder, they became an inspiration for the revolution. According to him, the regime of Alassad was already toppled a few months after the revolution started, but because of the help of Iran, Hezbollah, China and Russia, Alassad didn't leave power yet.

Also he couldn't escape from the regime of Alassad, on the 25th of August he was pulled into a vehicle in the center of Damascus by unknown people. The goal was not to kill him but to break his hands so he wouldn't be able to ever drawing again.

But this cruel deed had the adverse affect and he became an icon of the Syrian Revolution and he still can draw, yesterday he finally received the Sacharov Prize in the European Parliament.

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