# Riad Darar
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{{Short description|Syrian opposition political and social activist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Riad Hammoud Darar
| native_name = رياض حمود دارار
| native_name_lang = ar
| image =
| caption =
| order =
| office = Co-chair of the [Syrian Democratic Council](/source/Syrian_Democratic_Council)
| term_start = 25 February 2017
| term_end =
| alongside = Amina Omar
| predecessor = [Haytham Manna](/source/Haytham_Manna)
| successor =
| prior_term =
| order2 =
| office2 = Founding member of the [National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change](/source/National_Coordination_Committee_for_Democratic_Change)
| term_start2 = June 2011
| term_end2 = August 2014
| alongside2 =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1954}}
| birth_place = [Deir ez-Zor](/source/Deir_ez-Zor), [Second Syrian Republic](/source/Second_Syrian_Republic)
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party =
| alma_mater = [Bachelor's degree](/source/Bachelor's_degree) on [Arabic language](/source/Arabic_language) in [Damascus University](/source/Damascus_University)[{{cite web|url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2017/03/syria-kurdish-democratic-council-arab-leader-federal.html|title=What federalism would mean for northern Syria|work=Al-Monitor|author=Sardar Mlla Drwish|date=27 March 2017}}]
}}
{{Politics of Syrian Opposition}}
{{Politics of Rojava}}
'''Riad Hammoud Darar''' ({{langx|ar|رياض حمود دارار}}, born 1954) is a [Syrian opposition](/source/Syrian_opposition) political and social [activist](/source/activist) and author from [Deir ez-Zor](/source/Deir_ez-Zor). He was a campaigner for [human rights](/source/human_rights_in_Syria) for [Kurds in Syria](/source/Kurds_in_Syria) since 2000. During his activism, he was [imprisoned](/source/political_prisoner) by the [Syrian government](/source/Syrian_government) for 5 years and was released in 2010.[{{cite book |last= Tejel|first= Jordi|date= 29 August 2008|title= Syria's Kurds: History, Politics and Society|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=g4f54qsU618C|publisher= [Routledge](/source/Routledge)|page= 126|isbn= 978-1134096435}}] On 25 February 2017, he was elected as the co-chair of the [Syrian Democratic Council](/source/Syrian_Democratic_Council).[
==Early life==
Riad Darar was born in [Deir ez-Zor](/source/Deir_ez-Zor) in 1954. He received a [bachelor's degree](/source/bachelor's_degree) on [Arabic language](/source/Arabic_language) some time later, and became a [preacher](/source/preacher) and an [imam](/source/imam) at a mosque in Deir ez-Zor.][
==Political career==
Since 2000, Riad Darar became a political activist and began to work with various [non-governmental organization](/source/non-governmental_organization)s.][ After an [uprising](/source/2004_Qamishli_riots) by [Kurds in Syria](/source/Kurds_in_Syria) in 2004, [Mashouq al-Khaznawi](/source/Mashouq_al-Khaznawi), a Kurdish [Sufi](/source/Sufi) religious leader, was arrested and [assassinate](/source/assassinate)d by the [Syrian military intelligence](/source/Military_Intelligence_Directorate_(Syria)) in May 2005. Riad Darar was among those who were present at al-Khaznawi's funeral, and gave a speech. The next month, Darar was arrested.][ On 2 April 2006, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison by the [Supreme State Security Court](/source/Judiciary_of_Syria).][{{cite web|url=http://www.shrc.org/en/?p=20642|title=Riad Darar Released|work=Syrian Human Rights Committee|date=11 June 2010}}]
On 10 June 2010, Riad Darar was released from prison.[ In June 2011, during the [early phase of the Syrian uprising](/source/civil_uprising_phase_of_the_Syrian_Civil_War), he became a founding member of the [National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change](/source/National_Coordination_Committee_for_Democratic_Change), a [Syrian opposition](/source/Syrian_opposition) bloc.][ Riad Darar became one of the major figures in the Syrian opposition.][{{cite web|url=http://www.syriauntold.com/en/2014/02/wissam-sara-unites-syrians-in-mourning/|title=Wissam Sara Unites Syrians in Mourning|work=Syria Untold|date=4 February 2014}}] In August 2014, he resigned from the NCC due to the lack of unity.[{{Cite web|url=https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/23971.html|title=Co-leader of Syrian Democratic Council says federalism is adequate choice: INTERVIEW|work=Zaman al-Wasl|author=Abdullah Ghadawi|date=5 March 2017}}]
On 25 February 2017, during the second conference of the [Syrian Democratic Council](/source/Syrian_Democratic_Council) in [al-Malikiyah](/source/al-Malikiyah), Riad Darar was elected as the co-leader of the SDC, replacing [Haytham Manna](/source/Haytham_Manna), another former NCC member who resigned from the SDC. Riad Darar then announced his support for [federalism](/source/federalism) and [democracy](/source/democracy) in Syria,[ including in Deir ez-Zor.][
==See also==
*[Michel Kilo](/source/Michel_Kilo)
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Syrian Civil War}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Darar, Riad}}
Category:Syrian democracy activists
Category:Politicians from the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
Category:Living people
Category:Syrian Muslims
Category:Syrian imams
Category:1954 births
Category:People from Deir ez-Zor
Category:Anti-Assad politicians of the Syrian civil war
Category:Damascus University alumni
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Riad Darar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riad_Darar) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riad_Darar?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.
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