Syrian Activist Shot Dead While Filming

This was the last video Basil al-Sayed, a citizen journalist in Syria, filmed before he was shot in the head by security forces. The 24-year-old citizen journalist was shot in the head by Syrian security, while filming at a checkpoint. Activists said Al-Sayed was one of the few who filmed security forces opening fire directly at protesters. Al-Sayed filmed security forces opening fire directly at protesters, and that put him at serious risk. Foreign journalists have been mostly banned from entering Syria since a popular uprising against the rule of President Bashar Assad began in the country 10 months ago. In many cases, the videos uploaded to YouTube by citizen journalists have been the only way for the outside world to see the clashes that have cost more than 5,000 people their lives in Syria. Al-Sayed documented the uprising using a small Samsung camcorder that has a red body. He uploaded hundreds of hours of footage to YouTube. He has a brother and sister, and he was the youngest in his family. He worked at an aluminum plant in Homs.