Who is Ken O Keefe?Kenneth Nichols O'Keefe (born 1969) is an American-Irish-Palestinian citizen and activist and former United States Marine and Gulf War veteran. In 2001 he set fire to his United States passport. Subsequently, he led the human shield action to Iraq and was a passenger on the MV Mavi Marmara during the Gaza flotilla raid, where he helped in disarming two of the Israeli commandos who boarded the ship. O'Keefe served as a United States Marine in the First Gulf War. According to his own website, he was discharged because he "spoke out openly about abuse of power by my 'superiors' and as a consequence I paid a heavy price. I realised that honour and integrity were virtues which are often punished rather than rewarded and the Marines supplied me with my first serious taste of injustice."
Who are PressTV?PressTV is a 24-hour English and French-language news and documentary network. It is affiliated with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). IRIB is state-owned but independent of the Iranian government in its management and is the only legal TV and radio broadcaster inside Iran. Press TV is headquartered in Tehran and has offices and bureaus around the world, including London, Beirut, Damascus, Kabul and the Gaza Strip.
What is Syria?Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon to the southwest, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest. A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including Syrian Arabs, Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds, Circassians, Mandeans and Turkemens. Religious groups include Sunnis, Christians, Alawites, Druze, Isma'ilis, Mandeans, Shiites, Salafis, Yazidis, and Jews. Sunnis make up the largest religious group in Syria.