PRI picks up on the story of Syrian cartoonist Akram Raslan who Cartoon Rights Network International (CRNI) reported as being executed and left in a mass grave. The problem with the story is the only source for the execution is CRNI who has clarified to Michael Cavna that his source is someone close to Akram’s family, but the family themselves are still unclear.
From PRI:
The human rights group has good sources in and outside Syria. But there’s one problem. On Facebook and Twitter, people are saying that Akram Raslan is still alive. And Raslan’s own family doesn’t believe the reports that Akram is dead. Following the initial report by Cartoon Rights Network International, Michael Cavna of the blog Comic Riffs spoke to CRNI’s director Robert Russell and afterward added some clarification. “CRNI?s report of Raslan?s death, Russell tells us Sunday, is based on ‘a reliable source close to [his] family.’ Russell notes, however: ‘The family is still saying that they don?t know [what happened], and that nobody has told them anything.’.” Robert Russell has appealed for more information about Akran Raslan on the Facebook page of The Syrian Journalists Association.
Akram has been posting anti-Assad cartoons on Facebook. PRI has labeled the cartoon below as the one that pushed the regime into arresting Akram. The rest of the story is now unclear.
