Ali Ferzat

Ali Ferzat was physically attacked by the Syrian regime in August 2011 because of his criticism of Bashar al-Assad. In 1990, he was awarded a gold medal after being voted the best Arab caricaturist by readers of Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper and he was named one of the five most important artists in the world by the President of the Swiss Union in 1994. He has won the Dutch Prince Claus Award (2002), the European Parliament Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought (2011), and the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Award (2012). He was recently named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine. His drawings are published by newspapers and magazines internationally and he is the author of A Pen of Damascus Steel (Cune Press, 2005).