On Monday, Syrian opposition leader Oqab Yahya died due to a medical condition that had developed a few days ago, when he entered a hospital in the Turkish city of Istanbul.
The Syrian National Coalition expressed condolences to the family and supporters of Yahya.
Who is Oqab Yahya?
Yahya was a Syrian opposition writer and politician, who was born on 18 May 1946 in the city of al-Salamiyah, located in the eastern countryside of Hama. Yahya has opposed the regime since it assumed power in 1970.
In 1976, he worked to establish a secret opposition organization, the National Democratic Rally (NDA). These actions exposed Yahya to prosecution by regime intelligence, which prompted him to leave the country and move to Algeria.
Yahya continued his activism by writing political and narrative articles. When the Syrian revolution broke out in March 2011, he announced his support for it. Yahya wrote an article for the occasion entitled “The dream of returning home is no longer far away.”
He co-founded the Syrian National Coalition on 11 November 2012 and held several positions there, most recently serving as Vice President.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
