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In late July 2015 a 26-year-old pediatrician described to our team of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) investigators his experiences in Aleppo, Syria's most populous city. When he was a medical student in 2012, government forces detained and severely beat him. He now works as an emergency medicine physician and surgery resident in a hospital that has twice been bombed by the Syrian government. He lives in fear of being killed by bombs on his way to or while working in his hospital. His family wants him to leave Syria as they did, but he explained why he stays: "It's our country, and if we leave, it will fall apart. At times, I think maybe I will leave and specialize and come back with better skills, but then I see how much the people need me. Maybe that's the biggest thing that's keeping me inside."

medical care if injured with their desire to demonstrate their commitment to deeply held values and principles. A society where people do not feel safe to protest is a society that risks losing its most precious freedoms.We declare no competing interests. We thank the many people who spent hours with us during our investigation in Portland.

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