The shy smile that shames Syria: Gifted student vanishes without a trace into brutal prisons

                                                                                                                                                                                Before the troubles in Syria began early last year, 24-year-old Noura Aljizawi was a gifted young woman looking forward to a bright and exciting future. 

An exceptional student, she had completed a masters degree at the University for Arabic Literature and had been granted a scholarship to continue her studies in France.But like many young people living in the flashpoint city of Homs, Noura was swept up by the revolutionary fervour at which point her life was turned upside down.

A week ago she was abducted by the Syrian regime. Her family and friends fear the worst. Sources within the revolutionary movement claim she was abducted by Assad forces at a coach station in Damascus as she tried to make her way to Aleppo, the country's largest city.

She left home one morning and never returned. No one has been able to make contact with her since. 

Although her official whereabouts remain unknown, colleagues believe she is being held in one of the regime's brutal prisons where women are routinely tortured, raped and even murdered.

Sources say she was seized carrying six cameras that contained clips of protests and pictures and names of activists.

They claim 12 of these activists - 7 females and 5 males - have gone missing since Noura's abduction which indicates she may have been tortured to reveal their whereabouts.

Her incredible conversion from model student to champion of the revolution had been swift and selfless.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2125269/The-shy-smile-shames-Syria-Gifted-student-vanishes-trace-brutal-prisons-women-raped-tortured-murdered.html#ixzz1rBQdBr7
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