This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011 [1].
The following citizen video posted [2] by user syria7ra [3] on YouTube, where it seems that a citizen journalist who was recording disturbances in Syria caught the moment of his death on film, has had both press and netizens wondering about the authenticity of the images.
http://youtu.be/cp_ajN7Kqvc [2]
The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom covered [4] the story describing the video and the details they have been able to pick up, such as the video originating from the city of Homs; the narrator for the video begins by describing how on July 1, 2011, someone was shooting at citizens in the area of Karm al-Sham even though there were no demonstrations or apparent reasons for doing so. However the newspaper clarifies [4] that the cameraman's identity is unknown and they have been unable to confirm either his identity or the authenticity of the video.
On the YouTube comments for the video, the same uncertainty is perceived:
I am not sure if it's real or fake, but there are surely few questions. For example who was the citizen? What was his name? When and where dit it happen?
I mean, the video from his mobile phone haven't uploaded to YouTube by itself. Someone had to take his phone, transfer the video to PC and upload it to YouTube. And in this case there must be some details about the dead person, time, location and so on. Blurry video without any context is simply not enough.
Tahabali [7]helps out with a translation [8] in English of the voices heard in the video:
Translation: He initially says: “Security forces are firing at people in the Karm al-Shami neighborhood [this is in the central Syrian city of Homs], for no reason, not even a demonstration, today, July 1, 2011.” After being shot, a friend seems to have approached him and realized that, and asks: “you were shot in the head? Oh God! Oh God!”. He then, hardly intelligibly, keeps saying “quickly, quickly,” perhaps while pointing at something. His friend lastly says: “You want me to film?”
nerophyte [9] also responds [10]:
This is terrible! Although I do not agree with comments about this being faked, the guy filming this video was too nervous and distracted to notice the shooter aiming at him 2.5 seconds before shooting, the first time I saw this video I noticed the son of a bitch taking aim towards the camera. I'll have to agree with comments saying that probably you would freeze when aimed at by a gunner, but I still think that the lack of reaction (duck!) was due to nervousness/distraction due to all the fuss.
Th3a5 [11] is one of those who believe the video is a hoax [12]:
FAKE ! i do not see any flash from the gun and the camera is hidden , in reality the camera would fall etc… this is another fake to make more turmoil.
And bs9rwbb [13] reacts [14] with confusion as to what can be done to help by those outside the conflict:
it's sad, the international community should really do something about Syria, but it's hard to say what. Some of the comments here are pretty feckless, that man was trying to do something honorable in his life and he paid the ultimate price. He was braver than most of you.
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011 [1].