Rami Jarrah () (born 11 June 1984

Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...

) is a

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

n political activist who was often cited by international media outlets under the pseudonym Alexander PageCNN Anderson Cooper speaks with Alexander Page
/ref> during the Syrian civil war. The barring of most international journalists from Syria by the government made such information particularly valuable. He was "outed" by the Syrian intelligence some time in September/October 2011 and fled to EgyptAfter fleeing Syria, @AlexanderPageSY fights on from Egypt
by Gaelle Faure (France24) 5 January 2012 with his wife and daughter where he posts comments to

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

and

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and continues to use the name Alexander Page. Rami Jarrah Damascus Syria

Rami Jarrah is

Syrian Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and lived most of his early life in London. He first visited

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, his parents' hometown, in 2004 where he was detained and placed under a 3-year travel ban by Syrian authorities. Between 2004 and 2007 he was interrogated by numerous intelligence branches regarding his relationship with his parents, both of whom were long-time opposers to the

Ba'ath party The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ( ' ), also known simply as Bath Party (), was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology ...

. He was arrested on 25 March 2011 during the Syrian civil war whilst filming a protest in the

Umayyad Mosque The Umayyad Mosque (; ), also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, located in the old city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Its religious importance stems from the eschatological reports ...

,Video footage during a demonstration in the Umayyad Mosque
25 March 2011 Jarrah was tortured for three days in a Syrian security branch and then released upon signing a document admitting he was a terrorist sent from abroad. In late 2011, Jarrah was arrested in Doha airport and almost sent back to Syria, he admits making it through the ordeal only because fellow

users began a large campaign on the social network.Syrian blogger and political activist Rami al-Jarrah speaks to Al Jazeera English about the troubles he had upon arriving in Doha and why he can’t return to his home country
Doha News -

Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera English (AJE; , ) is a 24-hour English-language News broadcasting, news channel operating under Al Jazeera Media Network, which is funded by the government of Qatar. Al Jazeera introduced an English-language division in 2006. It is ...

. According to

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

, before he became an activist, Jarrah was a "successful businessman with a comfortable life" but who quit his job "rather than join a pro-government rally".Prominent Syrian Activist Flees, Reveals Identity
by Deborah Amos. npr. 21 October 2011 ANA New Media Association logo

In 2012, Jarrah along with Deiaa Dughmoch established The ANA New-Media Association
by KRISTEN MCTIGHE 14 March 2012معارضون سوريون يطلقون وكالة "أنا" بديلاً من "سانا"... الراديو والتلفزيون قريباً
/ref> claiming it would become Syria's first independent free media agency. The office was established in Cairo given the dangers of doing so in Syria due to the events of the Syrian civil war and the Ba'ath governments crackdown on independent free media.Syrian Video Activists Plan News Broadcasts to Offer an Alternative to State Media
Robert Mackey "New York Times" 30 June 2012

Awards

Jarrah was awarded one of the 2012 International Press Freedom Award (IPFA) from

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) is a Canadian non-governmental organization supported by Canadian journalists and advocates of freedom of expression. The purpose of the organization is to defend the rights of journalists and con ...

for his coverage of the Syrian civil war.CJFE International Press Freedom Award goes to Syrian activist Rami Jarrah
/ref> The awards are presented annually to journalists who have demonstrated their commitment to

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

and honest reporting, and who have overcome tremendous obstacles in their work. The award is presented at the CJFE Gala: A Night to Honour Courageous Reporting, held in Toronto, Canada.

Family

Jarrah's father, Nouri al-Jarrah a long time Syrian dissident due to the Ba'ath government's dismantlement of the Communist Party in Syria, He established a literary magazine named Al-Katiba of which 15 issues have been published and has also published a number of poem collections. He is also a director of The Center for Arabic Geographical Literature-Exploration Prospects which is based in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The institute has published a number of works relating to Arab travel literature, most significantly Hassan Taufik al Idl travels in late 19th century

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

.Qantara.de - What Distinguishes the West from the Arab World?
/ref> Jarrah's mother Lina Tibi became a member of the

Syrian National Council The Syrian National Council (SNC), sometimes known as the Syrian National Transitional Council or the National Council of Syria, was a Syrian opposition coalition, based in Istanbul, Turkey, formed in August 2011 during the Syrian civil upris ...

a political council formed during the Syrian civil war to serve as a representative of the opposition movement against

Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...

's rule. Tibi is also a poet and has published a number of poetry collections in the Arabic language.

Life

Rami Jarrah was born in Nicosia Cyprus 11 June 1984, his parents both Syrian exiles, were forced to flee to the island during the war in Lebanon 1982. In 1986 Jarrah's family moved to

where he spent the next 15 years of his life. in 2004 he visited his home country facing arrest and a travel ban that then led him to settle down. Jarrah then began a successful business career as an import-export consultant for one of Syria's largest distribution companies: Modern Technology Co., Ltd. His career ended in early 2011 during the Syrian civil war due to a fallout with the company's Managing Director, Nabil Al Attar, over a political dispute. In October 2011 Jarrah fled Syria after learning he had been compromised by Syrian intelligence services for his participation in the uprising. his Pseudonym Alexander Page was used to disguise himself whilst speaking out to international media. Jarrah moved to Cairo in late 2011, he participated in the Mohammad Mahmoud events just by

Tahrir Square Tahrir Square (, ; ), also known as Martyr Square, is a public town square in downtown Cairo, Egypt. The square has been the location and focus for political demonstrations. The 2011 Egyptian revolution and the resignation of President of Egypt, ...

. 19 November 2011

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

ian authorities accused Jarrah under his pseudonym of being an Israeli Agent sent to cause disruption, this was as a result of a live stream video he recorded of Egyptian Central Security Forces abusing peaceful demonstrators.

References

External links

youtube.com Alexander Page on CNN July 29 2011 talking Syria pro-democracy protests
* ttps://twitter.com/AlexanderPageSY Twitter {{DEFAULTSORT:Jarrah, Rami Syrian democracy activists Syrian dissidents Living people 1984 births

Awards

Family

Life

See also

References

External links