Syrian Civil War
During the Syrian Civil War, Farzat became more direct in his anti-government cartoons, specifically targeting government figures, particularly al-Assad. Following the fall of Tripoli in late August to anti-government rebels seeking to topple Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi, Farzat published a cartoon depicting a sweating Bashar al-Assad clutching a briefcase and running to catch a ride with Gaddafi, who is anxiously driving a getaway car. Other cartoons Farzat had published previously include one in which al-Assad is whitewashing the shadow of a large Syrian security force officer while the actual officer remains untouched, with the caption reading "Lifting the emergency law", and another showing al-Assad dressed in a military uniform, flexing his arm in front of a mirror. The mirror's reflection shows Assad as a dominant, muscular figure, contrasting with his actual slim stature.
On 25 August 2011, Farzat was reportedly pulled from his vehicle in Umayyad Square in central Damascus by masked gunmen believed to be part of the security forces and a pro-government militia. The men assaulted him, concentrating mainly on his hands, and dumped him on the side of the airport road, where passers-by found him and took him to hospital. According to one of his relatives, the security forces notably targeted his hands, both of which were broken, and then told Farzat it was "just a warning". His brother As'aad, however, claimed that Farzat was kidnapped from his home at around 5 a.m. by five gunmen and then taken to the airport road after being beaten "savagely". The gunmen then warned him "not to satirize Syria's leaders". The Local Coordination Committee (LCC), an activist group representing the rebellion in Syria, stated that his briefcase and the drawings inside were confiscated by the assailants.
In response to the news of Farzat's ordeal, Syrian opposition members expressed outrage and several online activists changed their Facebook profile picture to that of a hospitalised Farzat in solidarity with the cartoonist. The incident provoked an outpouring of solidarity by cartoonists in the Arab world and internationally. The Egyptian newspaper Al Sharouk's Waleed Taher drew a map of the Arab world with a face emerging from Syria screaming, "They beat up Ali Farzat, World!" Egypt's Al Masry Al Youm published a cartoon depicting a man with two amputated hands, taken aback by how another person guessed that he was a cartoonist. In the Lebanese daily Al Akhbar, Nidal al-Khairy published a cartoon depicting Farzat's broken hand being stabbed by three security men smaller than the hand in size, with the caption reading, "The hands of the people are above their hands." The well-known Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff drew a rifle with a pen as its barrel pursuing a frantic al-Assad.
The United States condemned the attack, calling it "targeted, brutal". According to the BBC's Arab affairs analyst, Farzat's beating was a sign that the Syrian authorities' "tolerance for dissent is touching zero." One month earlier, Ibrahim al-Qashoush, the alleged composer of a popular anti-government song, had been found dead with his vocal cords removed.
Following the attack, Farzat stated that he would no longer meet with al-Assad, although he was unsure whether al-Assad had directly ordered the assault. Farzat said he would continue to criticise al-Assad, stating, "I was born to be a cartoonist, to oppose, to have differences with governments that do these bad things. This is what I do."
