Michel Kilo
Michel Kilo ميشيل كيلو | |
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| Born | 1940 Latakia, Syria |
| Died | 19 April 2021 (aged 80–81) Paris, France |
| Nationality | Syrian |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Known for | Democracy activist, political prisoner |
Michel Kilo (
Christian[1] writer and human rights activist, who has been called "one of Syria's leading opposition thinkers."[2][3]
Career
Kilo was born to a Christian family in the Syrian Mediterranean coastal city and province of Latakia in 1940. His family were members of the Syrian Communist Party[4]
He studied journalism in Egypt and Germany. He has translated many political and economics books from
Troubles with the government
Kilo was first arrested by the government in the early 1980s,[1] following this arrest he moved to France but came back to Syria in 1991. Following the Damascus Spring movement, Kilo was a central figure in the Damascus Declaration of 2005 and called for "peaceful, gradual," reform "founded on accord, and based on dialogue and recognition of the other."[2]
On 12 May 2006, the
Beirut-Damascus Declaration, calling for normalising Lebanese-Syrian relations after decades of domination by Syria of its smaller neighbour Lebanon, was published with Kilo as one of its signatories. He was arrested yet again and a year later was sentenced to three years in prison on charges of "weakening national sentiment and encouraging sectarian strife." On 19 May 2009, he was released after completing all of his sentence.[6]
In May 2013, Kilo declined to become a member of the Syrian National Coalition after his group was offered only 5 seats on the said coalition.
Criticizing Kurdish federalism project in Syria
Michel Kilo told Madar Daily in April 2016 that the
Federation of Northern Syria - Rojava.[7]
Death
He died on 19 April 2021, at a hospital in Paris from COVID-19.[8]
References
- ^ Institute for War & Peace Reporting. 29 May 2009.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-59420-111-0.
- ^ "Minutes of US envoy meeting with Syrian opposition: Report". al Alam. 21 January 2014.
- ^ https://mronline.org/2011/10/09/michel-kilo-a-voice-of-courage-in-syria/
- ^ Michel Kilo (3 September 2011). "As Safir Newspaper Archives" أيها السوريون.. ماذا أنتم فاعلون؟ [You Syrians What Will You Do?]. As-Safir (in Arabic)..
- ^ "Dissident writer Michel Kilo freed in Syria", BBC News, 20 May 2009.
- ^ a b "Syrian Kurdish parties reject opposition leader's comments that Kurds want a second Israel". Ara News. 26 June 2016. Archived from the original on 27 June 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
- ^ "Veteran Syria opposition figure Michel Kilo dies of COVID-19". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
External links
Further reading
- Mark MacKinnon (3 January 2007). "No verbal zigzagging for this Syrian gadfly [Interview with Michael Kilo]". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Michel Kilo Profile Archived 4 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine The Alliance for Essential Liberties in the Middle East's profile of Michel Kilo
- Oweis, Khaled Yacoub (27 May 2013). "Syrian opposition shake-up falters ahead of peace conference [On the SNC and Kilo's liberal bloc)". Reuters. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- "Who's who: Michel Kilo". The Syrian Observer. 27 September 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
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