Press release
Syrian Opposition Coalition
Department of Media and Communications
October 29, 2022
The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) mourns the death of long-time opposition figure and human rights defender Marwan Hajo Al-Rifaie who passed away in Istanbul on Saturday at the age of 57.
The SOC offers its sincere condolences to Al-Rifaie’s family and friends, asking Allah to have mercy on him, forgive him and reward him with paradise, and to inspire his family, friends and loved ones patience and solace.
The late Al-Rifaie stood up to the injustice and tyranny of the Assad regime at an early age. He was arrested at the age of fifteen and spent nine years in prison during which he was brutally tortured in the infamous Tadmur and Sednaya prisons.
Al-Rifaie had to leave Syria in 2006 to escape security harassment and prosecution in response to his human rights activity. He joined the Syrian Revolution since day one and was a member of the Syrian National Council and SOC in addition to many revolutionary and human rights associations and institutions. He wrote several rights reports on the violations of the Assad regime and had significant contributions to the efforts to achieve the aspirations of the Syrian people.
Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return
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