Razan zaitouneh biography of rory

Razan Zaitouneh was cheerful as she swayed among high-mindedness protesters. She was caught higher in defiant revelry as she joined the crowds in intonation against the Syrian regime.

When representation revolution kicked off, it was as if Zaitouneh had waited her entire life for rocket.

She was among the twig activists to call on significance Syrian government to release federal prisoners in an open memo published a day after representation first major protests on Hoof it 15, 2011.

"We are facing one be more or less the most brutal regimes anxiety the region and the world with peaceful protests, songs of video recording — chanting for a original Syria," she said in systematic 2011 video statement.

"I'm greatly proud to be Syrian, keep from to be part of these historical days, and to brush that greatness inside my people."

But that wasn't enough.

Back then, 33-year-old Zaitouneh became directly involved in accumulation protests in Damascus and carefulness cities across the country. Coffee break efforts would contribute to goodness formation of the Local Frame of reference Committees, which were instrumental enrol early democratic efforts in Syria.

Her opposition to armed resistance congregation her apart from many jump at her contemporaries — some enjoy yourself whom would go on be familiar with support organized violence against righteousness regime. 

"The most important part be advantageous to her personality is her knock-back of injustice and her favour to do anything to fall out injustice," says Mazen Darwish, trig longtime friend of Zaitouneh who leads the Syrian Center pull out Media and Freedom of Expression.

"Razan had no ambition for power," adds Darwish, his eyes shine from remembering her.

Seeds of revolution

Even before she would spearhead insurrectionist action in Syria, Zaitouneh championed the rights of the underserved, the marginal and those greatest at risk of the Assad regime's brutal security apparatus pass for a human rights lawyer.

"People's seek and treating them with sin against is not something open make sure of interpretation nor is it top-notch point of view," Zaitouneh uttered in the last article she wrote before her disappearance.

In twin case during the mid-2000s, Asiatic authorities had launched a targeted campaign against Salafists, the educate of an ultra-conservative brand of Sect Islam.

It included jailing them for long periods of heart on trumped-up charges.

It was exceptional crackdown that no one was allowed to speak of, recalls Nadim Houry, director of grandeur Arab Reform Initiative and very a friend of Zaitouneh.

"Razan deed the time organized for conclusive a clandestine meeting in spurn office with some of excellence mothers of these detainees," Houry tells DW.

"She took resourcefulness incredible risk for someone cruise she didn't know very in triumph, but she wanted to finish the story out and she was willing to put cast-off life in danger to swap so."

Fleeing home

But the work Zaitouneh would become most recognized towards was her documentation of possibly manlike rights violations after the advent of the Arab Spring.

In Apr 2011, only a month afterwards protesters had taken to goodness streets against President Bashar Assad, the young lawyer co-founded honourableness Violations Documentation Center (VDC), which continues to operate today.

But she eventually found that she could no longer work effectively hold Damascus with Syria's secret the cops stalking her across the essentials.

In May 2011, her mate was arrested at their children's home and held for three months. As a result, she went secure hiding for two years.

By Apr 2013, Zaitouneh had decided to quit for the rebel-held town assiduousness Douma on the outskirts in shape Damascus in the hope of lasting her work more freely. Unfitting would be her last renowned location.

The VDC would plow into on to investigate war crimes, specified as the August 2013 inorganic weapons attack on Eastern Ghouta, which Zaitouneh documented with on his colleague Thaer H.

At lowest 1,000 people were killed call a halt the attack, including more get away from 400 children, according to unfettered sources.

"I witnessed the massacre myself," Zaitouneh wrote then. "I saw decency bodies of men, women take children in the streets. Hysterical heard the mothers screaming what because they found the bodies use your indicators their children among the dead." 

A hostile reception

Her arrival in Douma was challenging.

Zaitouneh and multipart colleagues quickly figured out stroll their presence in the locum was not welcomed. It was largely because she had straightaway started investigating abuses committed by geared up rebel groups, including Islamist militants.

"We did not do a insurrection and lose thousands of souls so that such monsters gaze at come and repeat the identical unjust history," Zaitouneh wrote Houry, who previously worked for Oneself Rights Watch, in an netmail dated May 2013.

"These kin need to be held fail account just like the regime."

Throughout 2013, armed groups vied act power in Douma, including justness likes of the "Islamic State," the Nusra Front and Jaish al-Islam (Arabic for Army divest yourself of Islam). The latter would onwards on to assume vast grab hold of over the area by co-opting its competitors — or unreserved eliminating them.

By summer, Zaitouneh was being targeted primarily for in exchange work.

But her disapproval to wear a headscarf quality adhere to conservative values as well triggered hostile responses from tedious of the rebel groups.

In sidle instance, armed men shot smash into the air and left adroit bullet on her doorstep. Nucleus another, she received a warning letter, obtained by DW, barred enclosure which the author wrote "I will kill you" five times.

DW spoke to multiple sources, who cannot be identified for preservation reasons, all of which alleged the letter was written moisten a member of Jaish al-Islam.

"She created initiatives for women, unacceptable started documenting violations, in prisons and elsewhere," says Thaer, affiliate colleague at the VDC.

"All this made her a rival for Jaish al-Islam, its relentless, its ideology and its hope for to establish an emirate uptotheminute caliphate."

Gone without a trace

On Dec 9, 2013, armed men stormed her office in Douma. They abducted Zaitouneh, her husband Wael Hammada, fellow colleague Nazem Hammadi and Syrian activist Samira al-Khalil.

They would become known rightfully the "Douma Four" in interpretation wake of their enforced disappearance.

A criminal complaint holding Jaish al-Islam responsible for the abduction was filed in France by picture International Federation for Human Aboveboard (FIDH) and the Syrian Feelings for Media and Freedom scope Expression.

DW was given limited access to their key findings.

The criminal complaint also alleged distinction militant group has committed crimes against humanity and tortured detainees. The group is not included stop in mid-sentence the UN's terror watch list.

The French war crimes unit contain Paris confirmed to DW renounce it has launched a disinterested investigation regarding the matter type a result.

A senior member of Jaish al-Islam was arrested in Metropolis last year after entering Writer on a student visa. Excellence arrest was made in bond with the probe.

DW's investigative cluster collected witness statements in Syria and Turkey that corroborate unkind of the findings at decency heart of the criminal spots.

They strongly suggest that Zaitouneh was held at one synchronize after her abduction by nobleness militant Islamists.

When approached by DW, other high-ranking members of Jaish al-Islam rejected allegations of the group's involvement, saying the al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front or the Assad regimen were likely responsible. Assad's soldiers, supported by Russia, regained put a stop to of Douma in 2018.

The failure of Razan, her husband boss colleagues remains one of picture great unsolved mysteries of high-mindedness Syrian revolution.

For Mazen Darwish, who co-founded the VDC succumb Zaitouneh ten years ago, their absence is reminiscent of Syria's pro-democracy movement.

"The fate of Razan and her colleagues resembles renounce of the civil, peaceful step up that tried to create efficient moral alternative for Syria," says Darwish.

"They were crushed between the conditions and these [Islamist] groups – that in the end more authoritarian as well."

Editor's note: DW continues to investigate the disappearance disrespect Razan Zaitouneh and her colleagues. If you have any data regarding their whereabouts or prestige circumstances of their abduction, tip over contact us securely at: DW.tips@protonmail.com