Late on Tuesday, Bassel Khartabil, also known as Bassel Safadi - a renowned Syrian-Palestinian internet activist - was reported dead by Noura Ghazi Safadi, his wife, and Amnesty International. 

According to reports, Khartabil was executed by the Syrian government only a few days after he was taken from the Adra prison back in October of 2015.

Khartabil was initially arrested in March of 2012 and detained without legal representation. During the time of his detainment, he was allegedly tortured. 

According to CNN, the arrest was part of an alleged effort to "restrict access to online communities and discourses and stifle free expression in Syria."

He is estimated by Amnesty to be one of the 17,723 people who have died in Syrian custody between March 2011 to August of 2016.  

Upon news of his death, his colleagues at Creative Commons released a statement:

"Around the world, activists and advocates seek the sharing of culture and open knowledge. Creative Commons, and the global commons of art, history, and knowledge, are stronger because of Bassel’s contributions, and our community is better because of his work and his friendship. His death is a terrible reminder of what many individuals and families risk in order to make a better society."

The public has also taken to social media to express their grief and outrage. 

Noura Ghazi Safadi, Khartabil's wife's statement:

Creative Commons' CEO comments:

Colleagues and friends

"Bassel Khartabil was my friend."

"Will always be remembered as a symbol of courage"

"Peaceful defender"

Who was Bassel Khartabil?

Khartabil was the one who introduced Syrians to open-source software as a means to escape the government's censorship and surveillance.

He was widely known as a friend of the open-community. 

He was a leader of the Syrian Creative Commons program - a non-profit organization focused on building a platform for openly sharing creative works. 

He also advocated and educated on the use of open source tools and online media.

Bassel championed freedom. His detainment sparked a five-year effort on social media calling for his release, with hashtags that include #FreeBassel. 

In 2003, Creative Commons co-founder, Lawrence Lessig, wrote in The Wall Street Journal, “Mr. Khartabil isn’t a partisan, aligned with one Syrian faction against another. He represents a future, aligned against a totalitarian past.”