Bassel Khartabil Explained
Bassel Khartabil (22 May 1981 – 3 October 2015; Arabic: باسل خرطبيل), also known as Bassel Safadi (Arabic: باسل صفدي), was a Palestinian Syrian open-source software developer. He was detained without trial by the Syrian government in 2012 and was secretly executed in 2015. Human rights organizations claim that he was detained for his activities in support of freedom of expression,[3] and the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention considered his detention to have been arbitrary.
Khartabil was born in Damascus and raised in Syria, where he specialized in open source software development. He was chief technology officer (CTO) and co-founder of collaborative research company Aiki Lab[4] and was CTO of Al-Aous,[5] a publishing and research institution dedicated to archaeological sciences and arts in Syria. He has served as project lead and public affiliate for Creative Commons Syria,[6] and has contributed to Mozilla Firefox, Wikipedia, Openclipart, Fabricatorz, and Sharism.[7] He "is credited with opening up the Internet in Syria and vastly extending online access and knowledge to the Syrian people."[8]
His last work included an open, 3D virtual reconstruction[9] [10] of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria,[11] real time visualization, and development with Fabricatorz for the web programming framework Aiki Framework. This was later created and displayed in his honor.[12]
In 2018, the Bassel Khartabil Free Culture Fellowship was announced in Khartabil's memory.[13] The fellowship awards $50,000 and additional support to individuals developing open culture in their communities. The fellowship was created by Creative Commons, Fabricatorz Foundation, Jimmy Wales Foundation, Mozilla, - NEWPALMYRA
, and Wikimedia.
Personal life
Khartabil was arrested a few days before his marriage contract to Noura Ghazi, a lawyer and human rights activist, was to be signed. The contract was finalized later that year, while Khartabil was in prison. The couple first met in Douma in April 2011 after coming back from a demonstration.[14]
On Valentine's Day 2015, Ghazi made public a love letter she wrote to Khartabil, where she reflects on what has taken place in Syria in the time he had been imprisoned:
Awards
For its 2012 list of Top Global Thinkers, Foreign Policy named Khartabil together with Rima Dali as #19 for "insisting, against all odds, on a peaceful Syrian revolution."[15]
On 21 March 2013 Khartabil was awarded Index on Censorship's Digital Freedom Award.[16] [17] Although still detained at the time in Adra Prison, Khartabil was able to communicate his gratitude through Dana Trometer and Jon Phillips receiving the award on his behalf, wherein he paid "respect to all the victims of the struggle for freedom of speech, and, especially for those non-violent youths who refused to carry arms and deserve all the credit for this award."[18]
Imprisonment
On 15 March 2012, Khartabil was detained amid arrests in the Mazzeh district of Damascus by Military Security Branch 215.[19] That day marked the one-year anniversary of the Syrian uprising, with pro- and anti-government protesters demonstrating in Damascus and elsewhere in the country.[20]
Khartabil was interrogated and allegedly tortured for five days by Military Branch 215. One week after his arrest, security forces reportedly took him to his home where they confiscated his computers and his files. He was then transferred to the Interrogation Division Branch 248 and detained there incommunicado for 9 months. On 9 December 2012, Khartabil was brought before a military prosecutor who charged him with "spying for an enemy State" under Articles 272 and 274 of the Syrian Criminal Code. Khartabil was then sent to the Adra Prison in Damascus.
On 12 December 2013, a request for written answer on the question of Khartabil's imprisonment was raised before the European Parliament to the Commission (Vice-President/High Representative), stating that "his voluntary work, always non-violent in nature, was greatly valued by Syrians of all backgrounds, and it is strongly suspected that his arrest was part of an effort to restrict access to online communities and discourses and stifle free expression in Syria."[21] On 18 March 2014, the written answer from High Representative/Vice-President Catherine Ashton was published, stating that "The HR/VP deplores the ongoing imprisonment of Bassel Safadi Khartabil, shares the concerns at his situation and follows it very closely."[22]
On 21 April 2015, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) adopted an opinion on Khartabil's case, calling his detention "arbitrary" and asking for his immediate release.[19] [23] The WGAD concluded that Kharbatil's detention violated Articles 9, 14 and 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Syria ratified in 1969.
Prison paintings
While Khartabil was in prison he made paintings, four of which have been smuggled out.
#FREEBASSEL campaign
After his detention became widely known in early July 2012, a global campaign was launched calling for his immediate release.[24] [25] [26] Notable Internet companies like Mozilla,[27] [28] Wikipedia, Global Voices,[29] EFF[30] and Creative Commons[31] [32] wrote letters to the Syrian government urging his immediate release. Notable individuals including Lawrence Lessig,[33] Joi Ito,[34] [35] Mitchell Baker,[36] Jillian York,[37] [38] Mohamed Nanabhay[39] and Barry Threw[40] wrote public letters of support. Al Jazeera,[41] Framablog,[42] and Hacker News[43] wrote about the effort.
In October 2012, Amnesty International released a document with information suggesting that Khartabil has been ill-treated and even tortured.[44] [45] On 23 October, the Taiwan chapter of Amnesty International led a letter-writing event at Insomnia Cafe to raise awareness about Khartabil in Taipei, Taiwan.[46] [47] [48] On 26 November, he was named one of the top 100 global thinkers by Foreign Policy for his resistance.[49]
In December, he was moved to a military prison to await a military trial.[50] [51] In response, a fasting campaign was launched to raise awareness about Khartabil's deteriorating incarceration situation.[52] On 25 January 2013, reports circulated about the pending trial and fears of his execution.[53] On 15 March[54] the #FREEBASSEL project organized a #FREEBASSELDAY campaign with Creative Commons, Mozilla, and other community leaders, leading to public artworks, meetups, press, and videos.[55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60]
On 22 May, commemorating Khartabil's 32nd birthday—the second time he spent a birthday in prison as well as the 799th day of the Syrian conflict—the Index on Censorship,[61] [62] Creative Commons,[63] and the #FREEBASSEL campaign launched Project Sunlight,[64] to uncover more information about Khartabil's condition and location.[65] His mother wrote, "I just want him free, I pray for him to be free and I pray for all his friends who believe and work on Bassel's freedom."[66]
At the Index on Censorship Awards, Jon Phillips said of Khartabil
Locking up Bassel only locks out his personal freedom. By locking up Bassel, his Syrian captors are accidentally locking out themselves from the future...thousands of people that Bassel's work helped, now help him by spreading the message #FREEBASSEL. This is what truly builds Syria and connects it to the global connected future. This award proves that his lock-up, is NOT a lock-out of his digital freedom.[67]
A letter supporting him was sent to the European Union Parliament later that year.[68]
In 2014, Marc Weidenbaum gathered participants to create 38 musical pieces that might be used as a soundscape for an immersive, completed digital visualization of ancient Palmyra.[69] A second iteration of #FREEBASSELDAY involved a Wikipedia "edit-a-thon", meetups, the creation of a cookbook in Khartabil's honor, and press mentions.[70]
Rebecca MacKinnon wrote about Khartabil and the Zone 9 Bloggers in the World Policy Journal,[71] and Wikipedia hosted an editathon for Zone 9 bloggers.[72] On Human Rights Day, Global Voices led a campaign to raise awareness about his imprisonment.[73] [74] [75]
In March 2015, the Electronic Frontier Foundation hosted a Wikipedia edit-a-thon for #FREEBASSELDAY.[76] [77] In addition, the Creative Commons Arab World organized a virtual Arabic Wikipedia edit-a-thon to translate and expand pages related to Khartabil and his interests.[78] [79] He was later profiled[80] with the launch[81] of the EFF's Offline[82] project, "sharing the stories of imprisoned technologists and technology users."[81]
In 2017, the #FREEBASSEL campaign asked supporters to do five public acts in honor of Khartabil, to be posted on social media.[83]
Transfer and execution
On 12 September 2015, Jaysh al-Islam shelled and stormed the prison, taking control of two buildings.[84] [85] Until early October Khartabil was still in Adra Prison in the suburbs of Damascus, Syria. By 3 October, military police took him from his cell in Adra with a 'top secret' sealed order from the Military Field Court.[86] He was transferred to an unknown location.[87] [88]
On 6 October, Amnesty International released a new report on Khartabil's status.[89] A day later, Human Rights Watch and 30 other human rights organizations issued a letter demanding that Khartabil's whereabouts be disclosed. On 17 October, Creative Commons Board of Directors approved a resolution calling for Khartabil's release.[90] On 21 October, the New Palmyra project was launched to carry on his 3D modeling work and other creative uses of data about Palmyra.[91] [92] A day later, the MIT Media Lab offered Khartabil a position of research scientist at the Center for Civic Media to work with Ethan Zuckerman on projects to make Syria's history available to the world.[93] [94] On 9 November, an anthology of essays in Khartabil's honor, entitled The Cost of Freedom: A Collective Inquiry, was released under a Creative Commons public domain license.[95] [96] Two days afterward, unconfirmed rumors surfaced that Khartabil had been sentenced to death.[97] [98]
In August 2017, Khartabil's wife and friends reported they had seen a copy of official documents confirming he had been executed after his transfer from Adra prison in 2015.[99]
Response
The Electronic Frontier Foundation[100] and the Wikimedia Foundation[101] as well as Global Voices[102] released statements mourning his loss.
Creative Commons announced the creation of the Bassel Khartabil Memorial Fund, to support projects in line with his ideas and work throughout his life.[103] On 11 August, the Mozilla Foundation announced the creation of the Bassel Khartabil Free Culture Fellowship, organized for an initial period of three years by Mozilla, Wikimedia Foundation, Creative Commons, the Jimmy Wales Foundation, #NEWPALMYRA and other groups. It is aimed at supporting individuals developing free culture, particularly under adverse circumstances.[104]
Year | Fellow | Fellowship Goal |
---|
2020 | Dr. Tarek Loubani and glia.org | Combat COVID-19[105] |
2018 | Majd Al-shihabi | projects Palestine Open Maps and MASRAD:platform, an oral history archive[106] | |
Works
Models of ancient Palmyra
See main article: New Palmyra Project.
Starting in 2005, Khartabil began collecting photographs of the ancient architecture and archaeology sites in Palmyra, in the hopes of reconstructing the city online, using 3D models and virtual spaces.
His efforts were put on hold when he was imprisoned, and some of his early work was lost. In 2015 his friends and colleagues launched the New Palmyra Project to bring that dream to life. Since then, many of the most famous structures in Palmyra have been modeled, and some life-size models built of structures that were destroyed in the Syrian Civil War.
As of 2017, most of the buildings and statues captured by the New Palmyra Project have been completely destroyed by ISIL.
Writing and art
Khartabil wrote hundreds of letters while in prison, including some while he was in a high-security military prison, where writing was prohibited. He also produced some paintings and poetry. For a short time, he published some of his writing to an anonymous prison blog[107] and Twitter account, via a friend.
"Jail is not walls, not the executioner and guards. It is the hidden fear in our hearts that makes us prisoners."
In his last year in prison, he made a series of at least four paintings that he was able to smuggle out to friends.
See also
External links
Notes and References
- News: Bassel Khartabil: Syrian internet freedom activist 'executed' . BBC News . 2 August 2017.
- News: Syria: Extrajudicial execution of Bassel Khartabil a grim reminder of Syrian prison horrors . Amnesty International . 2 August 2017.
- Web site: 7 October 2015. Syria: Disclose Whereabouts of Detained Freedom of Expression Advocate. Human Rights Watch.
- Web site: Aiki lab.
- Web site: الأوس للنشر. الأوس للنشر. 4 July 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20151117003042/http://www.al-aous.com/. 17 November 2015. dead.
- Web site: Syria - Creative Commons. wiki.creativecommons.org. 15 December 2023.
- Web site: Threatened Voices | Bloggers | Bassel (Safadi) Khartabil. threatened.globalvoicesonline.org. 15 December 2023.
- News: Request for Written Answer on the Question of the Imprisonment of Bassel Safadi Khartabil. 9 April 2014 . European Parliament . 18 March 2014.
- Web site:
- NEWPALMYRA
. newpalmyra.org.
- Book: Forte. Andrea. Andalibi. Nazanin. Greenstadt. Rachel. Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing . Privacy, Anonymity, and Perceived Risk in Open Collaboration . 2017. CSCW '17. New York, NY, USA. ACM. 1800–1811. 10.1145/2998181.2998273. 9781450343350. 16197512.
- Web site: Bassel Safadi discusses project involving 3D reconstruction of ancient city of Palmyra at San Francisco Art Institute, live from Syria via Skype. 1 July 2013. 2013-05-19.
- News: How a 3D-printed monument is helping an ancient Syrian city rise again. CBC News. 13 August 2017 . en.
- Web site: Memorial Fund Grants Launched in Memory of Bassel Khartabil. 2018-02-08.
- News: Stories from the Syrian Revolution: Love in the Time of Revolution is a Revolution. 15 March 2014 . Free Syrian Translators . 1 September 2013.
- News: The FP Top 100 Global Thinkers: 19 RIMA DALI, BASSEL KHARTABIL. 9 December 2014 . Foreign Policy . 26 November 2012.
- News: Imprisoned internet pioneer Bassel Khartabil wins Index on Censorship Digital Freedom Award. 21 March 2013 . Creative Commons . 21 March 2013.
- News: Bassel Khartabil Wins Index on Censorship Digital Freedom Award . 21 March 2013 . Fabricatorz . 21 March 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130510015131/http://www.fabricatorz.com/2013/03/bassel-khartabil-wins-index-on-censorship-digital-freedom-award/ . 10 May 2013.
- News: Winners – Index Awards 2013. 21 March 2013 . Index on Censorship . 21 March 2013.
- News: UN Calls for the Release of Freedom of Speech Advocate Bassel Khartabil . 25 June 2015 . Alkarama . 23 June 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150625170229/http://en.alkarama.org/1763-syria-un-calls-for-the-release-of-freedom-of-speech-advocate-bassel-khartabil . 25 June 2015.
- News: As revolt against Assad enters 2nd year, 'up to 500,000' Syrians may flee crackdown. 5 July 2012. Al Arabiya. 15 March 2012.
- News: Request for Written Answer on the Question of the Imprisonment of Bassel Safadi Khartabil. 15 March 2014 . European Parliament . 12 December 2013.
- News: Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Ashton on behalf of the Commission on the Question of the Imprisonment of Bassel Safadi Khartabil. 9 April 2014 . European Parliament . 18 March 2014.
- News: Netizen Report: U.K. Spied on Human Rights Organizations in Egypt, South Africa . 25 June 2015 . Slate . 24 June 2015.
- News: Activists launch #FREEBASSEL campaign to bring about release of Syrian web entrepreneur, well-known in technology communities. 5 July 2012. Al Jazeera. 4 July 2012.
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- Wang. Rong. Chu. Kar-Hai. 17 April 2017 . Networked publics and the organizing of collective action on Twitter: Examining the #Freebassel campaign. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies. 25. 3. 393–408. 10.1177/1354856517703974. 31548831. 6756764.
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- News: Please help us Free Bassel, open source developer and CC volunteer . Ito . Joi . 3 April 2015 . Creative Commons . 29 June 2012.
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- News: Please help us Free Bassel, open source developer and CC volunteer . Ito . Joi . 3 April 2015 . Lawrence Lessig . 29 June 2012.
- News: クリエイティブ・コモンズのボランティアでもあるオープンソース開発者、Bassel氏解放への支援呼びかけ . Ito . Joi . 3 April 2015 . Joi Ito . 29 June 2012.
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- News: Please Help Free Bassel Khartabil #FREEBASSEL . Threw . Barry . 3 April 2015 . Barry Threw . 29 June 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151126170937/http://www.barrythrew.com/2012/06/29/please-help-free-bassel-khartabil-freebassel/ . 26 November 2015 . dead.
- News: Activists launch #FREEBASSEL campaign to bring about release of Syrian web entrepreneur, well-known in technology communities . 3 April 2015 . Al Jazeera . 4 July 2012.
- News: #FREEBASSEL Lettre de soutien au syrien Bassel Khartabil . 13 August 2020 . Framablog . 3 July 2012 . fr . Letter of support for Syrian Bassel Khartabil.
- News: Opensource contributor Bassel Khartabil detained in Syria. Needs help . Bjorn . Wijers . 3 April 2015 . YCombinator Hackernews . 3 July 2012.
- News: Call for the Release of Bassel Khartabil . 3 April 2015 . Creative Commons . 29 October 2012.
- News: Free/open source programmer and Creative Commons activist Bassel Khartabil faces torture in notorious Syrian prison . Doctorow . Cory . 3 April 2015 . Boing Boing . 31 October 2012.
- News: Amnesty Taiwan Syria Urgent Action - FREE BASSEL . 3 April 2015 . Insomnia Blog . 23 October 2012.
- News: AMNESTY TAIWAN: SYRIA URGENT ACTION - #FREEBASSEL Letter. 27 March 2015 . freebassel.org . 27 March 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402095353/https://project-octopus.org/schema/creative-works/8e451c39-f46d-40db-a27e-286e23d23ca4. 2 April 2015. dead. dmy-all.
- News: AMNESTY TAIWAN: SYRIA URGENT ACTION - #FREEBASSEL . 27 March 2015 . freebassel.org . 19 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150626152443/http://freebassel.org/campaign/statements/2012/10/19/amnestytaiwan/. 26 June 2015 . dead.
- News: Top 100 Global Thinkers . 3 April 2015 . Foreign Policy . 26 November 2012.
- News: Open Source Developer Bassel Khartabil Moved to Syrian Military Prison . 3 April 2015 . Electronic Frontier Foundation . 12 December 2012.
- News: Concerns over fate of Syrian prisoner . 3 April 2015 . Electronic Frontier Foundation . 20 December 2012 . Randaree . Bilal.
- News: #FastforBassel Campaign Launched for Syrian Netizen Facing Military Trial . 3 April 2015 . Global Voices . 17 December 2012 . Al Hussaini . Amira.
- News: Fears that Syria may execute jailed software activist . 3 April 2015 . The Toronto Star . Izi . Touria . 25 March 2013.
- News: The FreeBasselDay Event. 15 March 2014 . freebassel.org . 18 March 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151126190433/http://freebassel.org/campaign/events/2013/03/15/free-bassel-day-event/ . 26 November 2015 . dead . dmy-all.
- Web site: Campaign Launched to Bring Home Loved and Celebrated Internet Volunteer Detained in Syria . FreeBassel.org . 15 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140217053637/http://freebassel.org/campaign/ . 17 February 2014 . dead . dmy-all.
- News: Free Bassel, Free Culture . 18 March 2013 . The Huffington Post . 15 March 2013.
- News: #FreeBassel: One Year Later, Syrian Netizen Remains in Prison . 18 March 2013 . Global Voices Online . 15 March 2013.
- News: Family of Syria Internet guru appeals for EU help . 18 March 2013 . The EU Observer . 15 March 2013.
- News: #freebassel: Syrischer Netzaktivist sitzt seit einem Jahr im Gefängnis . 18 March 2013 . Netzpolitik . 15 March 2013 . de . Syrian internet activist has been in prison for a year.
- News: Seit einem Jahr in Hafts . 18 March 2013 . Taz . 15 March 2013 . de . In Custody for a Year.
- Web site: Birthday wishes for Bassel Khartabil. Index on Censorship. 24 May 2013. 2013-05-23.
- Web site: Today is Bassel's second birthday in prison. Index on Censorship. 24 May 2013. 2013-05-22.
- Web site: Harmon. Elliot. Bassel Khartabil's Second Birthday in Prison. Creative Commons. 24 May 2013. 2013-05-22.
- Web site: MoPad: freebassel. 24 May 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20140313105415/https://etherpad.mozilla.org/freebassel. 13 March 2014. dead. dmy-all.
- Web site: FREEBASSEL SUNLIGHT: Celebrate Bassel's Birthday. Phillips. Jon. Fabricatorz. 24 May 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20160105125518/http://fabricatorz.com/2013/05/freebassel-sunlight-celebrate-bassels-birthday-today-may-22-2013/. 5 January 2016. dead. dmy-all.
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- News: On Human Rights Day, We Remember Jailed Human Rights Defenders . 27 March 2015 . Electronic Frontier Foundation . 10 December 2014.
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- News: This is not a protest! Edit for #FreeBassel . 15 March 2015 . Creative Commons. 11 March 2015.
- News: Meetup/San Francisco/FREEBASSEL DAY 2015 Announcement . 27 March 2015 . Freebassel . 15 March 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304050344/http://freebassel.org/campaign/events/2015/03/15/free-bassel-day-2015-wikipedia/ . 4 March 2016 . dead . dmy-all .
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- Web site: Offline: Imprisoned Bloggers and Technologists. Electronic Frontier Foundation. 15 December 2023.
- Web site: #FREEBASSEL5DAYS 5 PUBLIC ACTS PLEDGE ASKED FOR 15 MARCH 2017. 2017. 17 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171014080755/http://freebassel.org/campaign/events/freebasselday/2017/03/09/freebassel5years/. 14 October 2017. dead.
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- https://advox.globalvoices.org/2017/06/06/artists-and-writers-celebrate-the-work-of-missing-syrian-developer-bassel-safadi/ Artists and Writers Celebrate the Work of Missing Syrian Developer Bassel Safadi
- Web site: 3 October 2015. WE NEED EVERYBODY'S HELP TO #FREEBASSEL. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151003190157/http://mediaoriente.com/2015/10/03/we-need-everybodys-help-to-freebassel/. 3 October 2015.
- Web site: Amira Al Hussaini. 3 October 2015. Fears for Imprisoned Syrian Blogger Bassel Khartabil, Transferred to an Unknown Location. Global Voices.
- Web site: SYRIA: FURTHER INFORMATION: ACTIVIST MOVED FROM PRISON, RISKS TORTURE: BASSEL KHARTABIL. Amnesty International. 6 October 2015.
- Web site: Creative Commons Board of Directors approves resolution calling for Bassel Khartabil release. Creative Commons. 2015-10-17.
- A Jailed Activist's 3-D Models Could Save Syria's History From ISIS. WIRED. 21 October 2015. 2015-10-21.
- Web site: New Palmyra. newpalmyra.org. 21 October 2015.
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- Web site: MIT Media Lab reaches out to jailed Syrian activist with research position in Center for Civic Media - Joi Ito's Web. joi.ito.com. 22 October 2015.
- Web site: Ruehling. Barbara. Cost of Freedom Book to be released!. BookSprints.net. 10 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151208061730/http://www.booksprints.net/2015/11/cost-of-freedom-book-to-be-released/. 8 December 2015. dead. dmy-all.
- Web site: Cost of Freedom: A Collective Inquiry. CostofFreedom.cc. 10 November 2015. PDF and EPUB downloads. 9 November 2015.
- Web site: 2015-11-12. IGF 2015 Flyer on Bassel Khartabil. 15 November 2015. Electronic Frontier Foundation. eff.org.
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- FreeBassel: Death Sentence Rumored for Syrian Web Developer
. 15 November 2015. Global Voices.
- Web site: 1 August 2017. Horrific: Reports that Bassel Khartabil Has Been Executed in Syria. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170802000234/http://jimmywalesfoundation.org/horrific-reports-that-bassel-khartabil-has-been-executed-in-syria/. 2 August 2017. 1 August 2017. Jimmy Wales Foundation.
- Web site: Bassel Khartabil, In Memoriam. Electronic Frontier Foundation. 11 August 2017 . 3 August 2017.
- Web site: Wikimedia Foundation mourns the loss of Bassel Khartabil, Syrian Wikimedian and global open culture advocate. Wikimedia Foundation. 3 August 2017. 3 August 2017.
- Web site: Global Voices Honors the Life of Open Web Activist Bassel Khartabil, Executed by the Syrian Regime · Global Voices. Hamadeh. Talal. 1 August 2017. Global Voices. 6 August 2017.
- Web site: Announcing the Bassel Khartabil Memorial Fund. Creative Commons. 3 August 2017. 3 August 2017.
- Web site: Honoring Our Friend Bassel: Announcing the Bassel Khartabil Free Culture Fellowship. The Mozilla Blog. 11 August 2017. 11 August 2017.
- Web site: Bassel Khartabil Fellowship Awarded to Dr. Tarek Loubani and Glia to Combat COVID-19. 2 April 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20221224151659/https://basselkhartabil.org/2018/04/15/first-fellowship-awarded.html. 2022-12-24. live.
- Web site: The first Bassel Khartabil Fellowship Awarded to Majd Al-shihabi. 15 April 2018. 2022-12-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20221224151643/https://basselkhartabil.org/2020/04/02/second-fellowship-awarded.html. live.
- Web site: meinsyrianjail. meinsyrianjail. en-US. 5 August 2017.