Ghiyath Matar
غياث مطر
Journeys
Ghiyath Matar: Syria's Little Gandhi
At 23, Ghiyath Matar organized nonviolent protests in Daraya, handing flowers and water to soldiers at checkpoints. He was arrested September 6, 2011 and returned to his family four days later — a corpse bearing the marks of severe torture. His pregnant wife gave birth to their son after his death. He became one of the defining symbols of the revolution's peaceful character and the regime's brutality.
Roses for Soldiers, Death for Peace
Ghiyath Matar believed that offering roses to soldiers would transform the confrontation — that the uprising's humanity would disarm the regime's violence. He was wrong about what would happen to him. He was right about what the uprising stood for.
Biography
Ghiyath Matar was a young Syrian activist from Daraya whose commitment to non-violent resistance made him an icon of the early revolution. Known as 'Little Gandhi' for handing flowers and water to security forces during protests, he was detained by Syrian intelligence in September 2011 and died under torture three days later at the age of 25. His death shocked the opposition and became a rallying point for the protest movement.