New film tells story of activist jailed for 29 years
SMN No. 15, March 15, 2011
A new YouTube video tells the story of Syrian detainee Fares Murad, who spent 29 years in prison on charges of belonging to the Arab Communist Organisation.
Murad died in 2009 after long illness, and the 40-minute video commemorates the second anniversary of his death.
The three-part film, titled “Fares Murad: A Winner Along the Line”, has English subtitles and includes a testimony from Murad right before his death in which he tells the human side of his painful story. It also shows friends talking about the Fares they knew both inside and outside prison.
A Facebook page has also been created for Murad, displaying some of his interviews and articles written upon his death. The link to the video is posted there as well.
The creators of the page wrote that “the modest film was made with the help of friends whom we deeply thank. And we apologise for the lack of professionalism in the video, but it’s no more than a modest attempt by friends who knew Fares and meant to give him some of what he deserves”.
Murad was a Palestinian refugee, born in Neirab in the province of Aleppo in 1950. He was arrested on June 21, 1975 on the grounds of his affiliation with the Arab Communist Organisation. Murad spent the next 29 years in jail, moving between prisons in Mezze, Palmyra, Adra and Sednaya. He was released on January 31, 2004, after he contracted ankylosing spondylitis, a disease that affects the joints. He was not allowed to leave the country to receive the proper medical treatment, which was not available in Syria. Murad died on March 9, 2009.