Orient Net, 3 August 2017— The Syrian-Palestinian programmer, Bassel Safadi, known as Bassel Khartabil was executed by Assad regime in 2015, three years after his detention, his wife Noura Ghazi confirmed.

“Words are almost uttered. Today, I am speaking in my name, and in the name of Bassel’s family to confirm the execution of my husband, days after Assad regime transferred him to Adra prison in October 2015. It is a worthy end for a hero like him. Thank you (Assad terrorists) for killing my beloved! You made me the bride of the Syrian revolution! Because of you I became a widow! What a loss for Syria and Palestine! What a loss for me!” Noura wrote on Facebook.

Responding to the news of the execution, Anna Neistat, Amnesty International’s (AI) Senior Director of Research said:

“We are deeply saddened and outraged at this awful news. Bassel Khartabil will always be remembered as a symbol of courage, who peacefully fought for freedom to the very end. Our thoughts are with his family.

“Bassel Khartabil’s death is a grim reminder of the horrors that take place in Assad prisons every day. The tens of thousands of people currently locked away inside Assad regime’s detention facilities face torture, ill-treatment and extra-judicial executions. These cruel acts undoubtedly amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

Bassel Khartabil’s family announced his death on 1 August 2017 after receiving information that he was killed in 2015 after allegedly being “tried” and “sentenced to death” by Assad military field court in al-Qaboon, Damascus in a secret hearing. These courts are notorious for conducting closed-door proceedings that do not meet the minimum international standards for a fair trial.

Bassel was arrested on 15 March 2012 by Assad Military Intelligence and held in incommunicado detention for eight months before being moved to ‘Adra prison. He remained in ‘Adra until 3 October 2015, when he managed to inform his family that he was being transferred to an undisclosed location. Since then his whereabouts remained unknown.

The AI called upon Russia, Assad main ally, to allow for independent monitors inside Assad detention sites across Syria and for an investigation to be conducted, saying: “Thousands of lives are on the line.”

Khartabil is the son of a Palestinian father and a Syrian mother. He was known to be one of the most famous programmers in Syria. He worked in Mozilla Firefox and Wikipedia projects. He was also ranked 19th on the Foreign Policy’s list of the world’s best thinkers.