Samira al-Khalil Association

Our association wishes to make Samira al-Khalil's history and struggles known by supporting women who resist throughout the Mediterranean world.

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

I hope one day soon, their fates will be revealed. We’ll find them. And happiness will fill their families’ hearts.
They are some of the bravest hearts of our revolution. And like we always said, whoever kidnaps a revolutionary is a traitor. 🛑

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

🔶 Samira Al-Khalil
Samira is a political and human rights activist and has been long before the revolution started. She was detained by the Syrian regime for 4 years between 1987 and 1991 on charges of belonging to a leftist opposition party: the Communist Labour party 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

She documented the regime's crimes, met former detainees and their families and told their stories. She also helped women start their own small businesses.
When the revolution started, she was wanted by the regime. She hid in Douma to avoid detention, and worked in the VDC. 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

She wrote a diary about her life in besieged Douma. Her husband, @Yassinhs , collected it and got it published. She writes of the chemical massacre committed by the regime, along with other days she lived through in besieged Douma.
📎 translated snippets from her diary 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

Yassin Al Haj Saleh (@Yassinhs) was still filming the documentary Our Terrible Country with Ziad Homsi and Mohammad Ali Attasi when Samira was abducted. Before the documentary was completed.
📎 Snippets from Our Terrible Country 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

After her disappearance, Yassin wrote her letters. Yassin mentions Samira's favorite song "يا فجر لما تطل" (Oh Dawn, When You Rise). Hoping dawn will rise for Samira, and his clock would stop ticking
🔗 Yassin’s letters to Samira: https://t.co/e0CB9jz0Sq 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

🔶 Razan Zaitouneh
Razan is a lawyer and human rights activist. Her activism began well before the revolution. She always wrote for justice and freedom. And fought for the rights of detainees.
With other activists, she founded the
Violations Documentation Center 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

I’d like to quote her [from 2006]: “I'm full of hope in a land where there's […]. Those who have proven, and will always prove, that the jailer's whips and his cells can fall like dry leaves in the face of unquenchable need for life and freedom"
📎 snippets from her articles 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

Starting in 2002, the regime imposed a travel ban on her. She was prevented from leaving the country.
After the revolution, she was wanted by the regime for documenting its crimes and abuses against human rights. So she went into hiding in Douma
with her husband, Wael Hamada 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

Her mother recalls asking her to rest because she was ill during the first days. Razan replied, "I spent my life waiting for this day, and you want me to rest?"
She remained under the regime’s nose, always moving, to mislead them. They were after her for exposing their crimes. 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

When Ghouta was under siege by the regime, Razan used to skype her mother.
The day before she disappeared, her mother asked if she was hungry, Razan smiled and said "what l'd really like is some chocolate. Neither me nor the children here have tasted it in a long time" 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

After she moved to Douma to remain out of the regime’s reach, she started receiving d💀th threats by Is|a-mist armed factions for documenting their
crimes as well.
📎 a letter she received that contained d💀th threats by Ja-ysh Al-Is-lam. 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

🔹 it’s worth noting that the regime had detained Zah-ran Allo-ush (commander of Ja-ysh Al-Is-lam) in 2009 on charges of Salafism, while prisoners said it was because he was responsible for recruiting Syrian extremists for AQ in Iraq, with the facilitation of the Syrian regime 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

Reem, Razan’s sister, wrote of her disappearance, how it affected the family, and the pain they feel with every day that passes without any information about her whereabouts.
📎 Translated letters Reem wrote about Razan. 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

🔶 Wael Hamada
Wael is a Syrian human rights activist.
Born in Douma in 1976, he worked on involving Syrian youth in politics since 2000.
When the revolution started in 2011, Wael took part in founding the local coordination committees and the VDC along with Razan and Samira 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

He was detained and tortured by the regime twice. After he survived, he moved to Douma with his wife Razan and remained there until they were both abducted in 2013 from the VDC office in Douma. 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

🔶 Nazem Hamadi
Nazem is a Syrian poet, lawyer and human rights activist. He fought for detainees' rights well before the revolution. He took part in establishing the local coordination committee and was part of the SNHR. 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

He released a book titled "أوراق التوت الغامضة" (the Mysterious Berry Leaves) which he published before the revolution. And "ضد" (Against) which he didn't get to release before he was abducted. But was released later by Maysaloon Publishing.
📎 Nazem reciting a poem 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

He wrote a poem to a Palestinian friend of his who spent 29 years in the Assad regime’s prisons (During Hafez and Bashar's rule) and died in 2009.
📎 A translation of a snippet of said poem 🪡

[Siyma 🍊🍂 سـِـيْمــَـا @balladtobaladi]

His sister, Maysa, wrote of Nazem, and the painful wait his family endures, until he returns one day. Maysa mentions he was the oldest of 8 siblings. He would take them to theaters. And insisted they complete their higher education.
📎 A translation of Maysa’s article