Syria – Death of Michel Kilo (19 April 2021)

Syrian journalist, author and great intellectual Michel Kilo died yesterday in France, where he had found refuge, after half a century of fighting for human rights in his country. We pay tribute to his memory, his work and his action, and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family.

A leading figure in Syrian and Arab intellectual life, Michel Kilo became involved early on in the fight to promote democracy and human rights in his country. Like many Syrians, this man of dialogue and conviction had paid dearly for his ideals, spending many years in detention in Syrian jails and fleeing into exile. His commitment continued throughout the Syrian conflict, during which he tirelessly argued in support of a free and democratic Syria and against the exploitation of minorities by the Syrian regime.

Michel Kilo’s contribution to the fight for a free, democratic and inclusive Syria, enriched by all its components, will live on.