Death of Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb

On March 14, 2012 The Guardian released 3,000 emails leaked from Asma al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad's wife, and her father, Fawas Akhras. Akhras had emailed Bashar al-Assad, instructing him to respond to allegations that children are tortured in Syria by dismissing it as "British propaganda".

Al-Jazeera reported that he was not interested in politics, according to an unnamed cousin, but on April 29, 2011, he joined his family in a rally to break the siege of the city of Daraa. "Everybody seemed to be going to the protest, so he went along as well," said his cousin. Hamza walked with friends and family 12 km along the road from al-Jeezah north-west to Saida. Firing began almost as the protesters reached Saida. Hamza's cousin reported: "People were killed and wounded, some were arrested. It was chaotic we didn't know at that point what had happened to Hamza. He just disappeared." One source says that Hamza had been among 51 protesters detained by Air Force Intelligence, which detainees allegedly described as having a reputation for brutal torture.

Hamza's name became a rallying cry for protesters. A Facebook page honouring him had more than 105,000 followers by May 2011. Following the pattern of demonstrators calling Fridays a "day of rage", Saturdays in Syria were called the "day of Hamza".

On May 31, 2011, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton marked his death as a turning point in the Syrian uprising, indicating that it "symbolises for many Syrians ... the total collapse of any effort by the Syrian government to work with and listen to their own people".

Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb (Arabic: حمزة علي الخطيب ‎) (October 24, 1997 – May 25, 2011) was a 13-year-old Syrian boy who died while in the custody of the Syrian government in Daraa. On April 29, 2011, he was detained during a protest. On May 25, 2011, his body was delivered to his family, having been badly bruised, along with burn marks, three gunshot wounds, and severed genitals. Hamza's family distributed photos and video of his body to journalists and activists. Shocked by what was depicted, thousands of people showed their support for Hamza online and in street protests.