The poet and his son: Photo courtesy ABNA
The Islamic State (ISIS) executed a poet Mohammed Bashir al-Aani and his son Elyas on accusations of apostasy in Syria's Deir al-Zour province two days ago.
Al-Aani and his son were kidnapped in the eastern town of Deir Ezzor in September 2015 and taken to an unknown location. The poet had returned to the area with his son to bury his wife, who had died in Damascus after the family travelled to the capital to get better medical treatment for her.
Born in 1960, Al-Aani was one of the prominent poets from the eastern Deir Ezzor province and a member of ‘Arab Writers Union in Syria’.
Little is known about the poet’s son Elyas, but photos circulated by activists show a young man in his early 20s.
Al-Aani was noted for his civilian opposition to the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Known for his lyrical style, he wrote and published three books of poetry in Syria. Aani is the most high-profile cultural figure known to have been executed by terrorist gangs in Syria in 2016.
According to the Middle East Eye, Aani had returned to the area with his son to bury his wife, who had died in Damascus after the family travelled to the capital to get better medical treatment for her.
His last published poem, The Banishment of the Loser, spoke of “long exhaustion,” and ended with the line, “I am the one who will trade tranquility for defeat.”
ISIS which holds large areas of Deir Ezzor under siege has executed large numbers of civilians, mostly on charges of apostasy or spying.
In December last year militants from the group assassinated respected journalist Naji Jerf, who had come to be nicknamed “Uncle” due to his work training young Syrian reporters.
(Based on reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Syrian Free Press Network).