The Salafist and the human rights activist A year ago, four Syrian human rights activists were taken from a suburb of Damascus. Among them was the well-known lawyer Razan Zaitouneh. The kidnapping illustrates the fatal turn the Syrian revolution has taken, partly due to the West's inaction, writes Kristin Helberg A pale woman sits in front of a beige curtain. Her blonde curls are tied back, her blue eyes look tired. It is 4 December 2013, six days before the kidnapping, and this English-language video may be Razan Zaitouneh's last message to the world. Eastern Ghouta, the area immediately to the east of Damascus, where she now lives, is being bombarded daily and has been completely cut off for months. Twenty-three children have already died of starvation.