Riad_Darar

Riad Darar

Riad Darar

Syrian opposition political and social activist

Riad Hammoud Darar (Arabic: رياض حمود دارار, born 1954) is a Syrian opposition political and social activist and author from Deir ez-Zor. He was a proponent of human rights for Kurds in Syria since 2000. During his activism, he was imprisoned by the Syrian government for 5 years and was released in 2010.[2] On 25 February 2017, he was elected as the co-leader of the Syrian Democratic Council.[1]

Quick Facts Co-leader of the Syrian Democratic Council, Preceded by ...

Early life

Riad Darar was born in Deir ez-Zor in 1954. He received a bachelor's degree on Arabic language some time later, and became a preacher and an imam at a mosque in Deir ez-Zor.[1]

Political career

Since 2000, Riad Darar became a political activist and began to work with various non-governmental organizations.[1] After an uprising by Kurds in Syria in 2004, Mashouq al-Khaznawi, a Kurdish Sufi religious leader, was arrested and assassinated by the Syrian military intelligence in May 2005. Riad Darar was among those who were present at al-Khaznawi's funeral, and gave a speech. The next month, Darar was arrested.[2] On 2 April 2006, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison by the Supreme State Security Court.[3]

On 10 June 2010, Riad Darar was released from prison.[3] In June 2011, during the early phase of the Syrian uprising, he became a founding member of the National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change, a Syrian opposition bloc.[1] Riad Darar became one of the major figures in the Syrian opposition.[4] In August 2014, he resigned from the NCC due to the lack of unity.[5]

On 25 February 2017, during the second conference of the Syrian Democratic Council in al-Malikiyah, Riad Darar was elected as the co-leader of the SDC, replacing Haytham Manna, another former NCC member who resigned from the SDC. Riad Darar then announced his support for federalism and democracy in Syria,[1] including in Deir ez-Zor.[5]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Sardar Mlla Drwish (27 March 2017). "What federalism would mean for northern Syria". Al-Monitor.
  2. [2]
    Tejel, Jordi (29 August 2008). Syria's Kurds: History, Politics and Society. Routledge. p. 126. ISBN 978-1134096435.
  3. [3]
    "Riad Darar Released". Syrian Human Rights Committee. 11 June 2010.
  4. [4]
    "Wissam Sara Unites Syrians in Mourning". Syria Untold. 4 February 2014.
  5. [5]
    Abdullah Ghadawi (5 March 2017). "Co-leader of Syrian Democratic Council says federalism is adequate choice: INTERVIEW". Zaman al-Wasl.
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