Thousands gathered in Damascus to pay their respects to Mazen Al-Hamada, an anti-Assad activist whose body was found in Seydnaya prison showing signs of horrific torture. The funeral highlighted the brutality of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, with mourners calling Al-Hamada a martyr and stressing the sacrifices made in the ongoing struggle for a new Syria. Despite his asylum in the Netherlands, Al-Hamada returned to Syria under threats and was subsequently arrested and killed, underscoring the regime’s violence against dissidents.