https://marcnelsonart.com/2026/07/03/sketch-today-would-have-been-my-friend-mazen-al-hamadas-49th-birthday-he-was-murdered-in-an-assad-regime-prison-in-december-of-2024-just-days-before-syrias-liberation-mazen-was-know/Marc Nelson en2026-07-03T16:21:50+00:00Sketch.Today would have been my friend Mazen al-Hamada’s 49th birthday.He was murdered in an Assad regime prison in December of 2024, just days before Syria’s liberation.Mazen was known for many things: his courage, passion, pain, and humanity.He was also extremely funny, silly, playful, and generous.Even when Mazen was a refugee in the Netherlands, struggling with almost no money, he insisted on treating his guests to tea and cakes.His family and friends remember him as the most thoughtful, warm, gift giver.Today, to honor this beautiful human, we ask that you:https://marcnelsonart.com/2026/07/02/sketch-from-eyewitness-photo-incl-gouache-ink-cyanotypesince-the-fall-of-the-assad-regime-in-syria-aid-groups-like-the-syria-civil-defence-the-white-helmets-and-the-syrian-emergency-task-forc/Marc Nelson en2026-07-02T14:20:19+00:00Sketch from eyewitness photo (incl. #gouache #ink #cyanotype)Since the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, aid groups like the Syria Civil Defence – The White Helmets and the Syrian Emergency Task Force have gained access to land formerly occupied by the regime.What they have found is horrific.Mass graves with thousands of men, women, and children, murdered by Assad, Iran, and Russia.There are no words.