political prisoner

Abdel Aziz al-Khair

عبد العزيز الخير

Also known as: Abdulaziz al-Kheir • Abd al-Aziz al-Khayr

Journeys

Abdel Aziz al-Khair: 22 Years in Prison, Then Disappeared by the State

The story of Syria's most prominent disappeared opposition figure: imprisoned under Hafez, released under Bashar, then made to vanish forever at an airport.

Biography

Abdel Aziz al-Khair was one of Syria's most prominent secular leftist opposition figures, a leader of the People's Democratic Party (a communist-derived party), who spent 22 years in Assad's prisons (1987-2009). Released in 2009, he participated in the Syrian opposition after 2011 and was disappeared by Syrian security services at Damascus airport in September 2012 upon returning from a diplomatic trip. His fate remains unknown as of 2025.

Documentation Status

VerificationConfirmed

Journeys1

Key Facts

Born:1949

Place:Tartus, Syria

Nationality:Syrian