{{Short description|President of the Syrian National Council}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = George Sabra<br>{{small|{{lang|ar|جورج صبرة}}}} | image = George Sabra جورج صبرة 1993.jpg | office = President of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces<br>{{small|Acting}} | prime_minister = Ghassan Hitto | term_start = 22 April 2013 | term_end = 6 July 2013 | predecessor = Moaz al-Khatib | successor = Ahmad al-Jarba | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1947|7|11|df=y}} | birth_place = Qatana, First Syrian Republic | death_date = | death_place = | alma_mater = Damascus University<br>Indiana University, Bloomington }} '''George Sabra''' ({{langx|ar|جورج صبرة}}, born 11 July 1947) is a Syrian politician and member of the Syrian Democratic People's Party. He was elected president of the Syrian National Council, the main opposition group in Syria, on 9 November 2012 and later was acting president of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces from 22 April<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20276252|title=Syrian National Council chooses George Sabra as leader|date=9 November 2012|work=BBC News|accessdate=10 November 2012}}</ref> – 6 July 2013. He resigned from the National Coalition on 25 April 2018.<ref name=resign>{{cite web|url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2018/4/25/three-members-of-leading-syria-opposition-coalition-resign|title=Three Syria opposition coalition members resign over 'Russian control of peace talks'|work=Al-Araby Al-Jadeed|date=25 April 2018}}</ref>

==Early life and education== Sabra was born to a Christian family in the city of Qatana in Rif Dimashq Governorate on 11 July 1947.<ref>{{cite news|title=Syrian opposition head wants no-strings aid|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/11/201211919122020926.html|accessdate=11 November 2012|work=Al Jazeera|date=11 November 2012}}</ref> He graduated with a geography degree from Damascus University in 1971 and a degree in educational technology systems from Indiana University in 1978.<ref name=a>{{cite web|title=George Sabra|url=http://carnegie-mec.org/publications/?fa=48732|publisher=Carnegie Middle East Center|accessdate=11 November 2012|archive-date=29 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629211953/http://carnegie-mec.org/publications/?fa=48732|url-status=dead}}</ref> He since became a geography teacher, as well as a screenwriter. He is one of the writers for the Arabic version, ''Iftah Ya Simsim'', of the children's show ''Sesame Street''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hammond|first=Andrew|title=Syria's opposition SNC elects George Sabra as new head|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-council-head-idUSBRE8A81EA20121109|accessdate=11 November 2012|work=Reuters|date=9 November 2012}}</ref>

==Political career== Sabra has been politically active in the Syrian opposition movement since the 1970s. He joined the Syrian Communist Party (Political Bureau) in 1970 and was elected to its Central Committee in 1985. He was arrested in 1987 during one of many government crackdowns on the party and imprisoned for eight years. A few years after his release, in 2000, he was assigned to represent his party in the National Democratic Rally, a coalition of leftist parties that was originally formed in 1979, and he was subsequently elected to the rally's Central Committee.<ref name=a/> After the death of President Hafez al-Assad, his son, Bashar al-Assad allowed a brief toleration of opposition that was known as the Damascus Spring. Sabra was one of 250 people who signed the Damascus Declaration in 2005, which called for peaceful reform in Syria.<ref>[http://www.lebanonwire.com/1005/05101710AFP.asp Divided Syrian opposition unites to call for change], ''Lebanon Wire'', 17 October 2005</ref>

Sabra was arrested on 10 April 2011.<ref>[http://storify.com/ayeshaalmazroui/translation-of-a-speech-of-george-sabra-by-iyad-el Speech by George Sabra, translated by Iyad El-Baghdadi] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011095254/https://storify.com/ayeshaalmazroui/translation-of-a-speech-of-george-sabra-by-iyad-el |date=11 October 2017 }}, George Sabra, 8 February 2012</ref> He was arrested again on 20 July 2011 and was released two months later, having been held incommunicado.<ref>[https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE24/056/2011/en Syria: Further information: George Sabra released], ''Amnesty International'', 22 September 2011</ref> He left Syria in January 2012 to join the Paris-based Syrian National Council.<ref>[http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/27645 Opposition Leader Leaves Syria for France, Calls for U.N. Help], ''Naharnet'', 24 January 2012</ref> Almost immediately he unsuccessfully challenged Burhan Ghalioun for the leadership of the SNC.<ref>[http://www.naharnet.com/stories/30100-syrian-national-council-to-choose-leader-wednesday-in-doha Syrian National Council to Choose Leader Wednesday in Doha], ''Naharnet'', 14 February 2012</ref> He stood again in April, when he received 11 out of 40 votes against Ghalioun's 21 votes.<ref>[http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/40290-ghalioun-elected-chief-of-syrian-opposition-coalition Ghalioun Elected Chief of Syrian Opposition Coalition], ''Naharnet'', 15 May 2012</ref>

On 22 April 2013, president of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, Moaz al-Khatib resigned in protest of the lack of international aid to the Syrian opposition by the Friends of Syria Group. George Sabra was then appointed as Khatib's successor.<ref name=aj>[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/04/2013422152033307536.html Syria opposition names interim leader, www.aljazeera.com, retrieved: April 23, 2013]</ref>

On 25 April 2018, George Sabra, along with former SNC vice president Suheir Atassi and president Khaled Khoja, resigned from the Syrian National Coalition. Sabra said that the SNC is "no longer devoted to the principles of the revolution and the goals of the [[Syrians|[Syrian] people]]".<ref name=resign/>

On 7 June 2025, following the fall of the Assad regime, Sabra returned to Damascus.<ref>{{Cite web |title=عودة جورج صبرة إلى دمشق بعد 13 عاماً من المنفى: محطة جديدة في مسيرة معارضٍ خبر الاعتقال والنضال |url=https://shaam.org/news/syria-news/عودة-جورج-صبرة-إلى-دمشق-بعد-13-عاما-من-المنفى-محطة-جديدة-في-مسيرة-معارض-خبر-الاعتقال-والنضال |date=7 June 2025 |access-date=7 June 2025 |website=Shaam News Network |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250607165102/https://shaam.org/news/syria-news/%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AC-%D8%B5%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%B4%D9%82-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-13-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%86%D9%81%D9%89-%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%B7%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B6-%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B6%D8%A7%D9%84 |archive-date=7 June 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20121113035835/http://www.syriancouncil.org/en/members/item/365-george-sabra.html Syrian National Council profile]

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Moaz al-Khatib}} {{s-ttl|title=President of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces<br>{{small|Acting}}|years=2013}} {{s-aft|after=Ahmad Jarba}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabra, George}} Category:1947 births Category:Damascus University alumni Category:Indiana University alumni Category:Living people Category:People from Rif Dimashq Governorate Category:Syrian National Council members Category:Greek Orthodox Christians from Syria Category:Arab Christians Category:Former National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces members