The laureates
Description
Noura Ghazi is a Syrian lawyer and human rights activist who has been advocating for political prisoners since 2004. She founded the organization NoPhotoZone in 2018 to honor the memory of her husband, Bassel Khartabil Safadi, a prominent Syrian-Palestinian activist who was detained by the Syrian regime in 2012 and executed in 2015. NoPhotoZone is a French NGO that provides legal and psychosocial support and advocacy for detainees, the disappeared, and their families in Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey. It has been advocating internationally for the rights of detainees and the disappeared in Syria since 2014. It has received numerous international awards, notably from Amnesty International, in recognition of the value of its work.
“The Syrian refugee crisis will end the day Bashar al-Assad's regime falls.”
Interview de Noura Ghazi – 15 mars 2024
Can you introduce yourself ?
My name is Noura Ghazi, a Syrian alumna of the first cohort of the Marianne Initiative. I have been an activist, advocate, and expert in human rights for over 20 years as a lawyer. I fight against arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances in Syria, as well as against torture and the death penalty.
Can you describe your work as a human rights advocate?
Since 2004, I have dedicated my life to defending the rights of political prisoners. In 2011, the Syrian Revolution exacerbated the problems of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances during protests. My husband, Bassel Khartabil Safadi, a Syrian-Palestinian activist, was imprisoned by the Syrian regime in 2012 and executed in 2015. We were married while he was in prison, which earned me the title “Bride of the Revolution.” In 2018, I was forced to flee Syria for Lebanon. I founded NoPhotoZone, a French NGO providing support to detainees, the disappeared, and forcibly displaced people in Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey.
Why did you decide to advocate for human rights?
I was 5 years old when I first encountered a human rights violation. My father had been arbitrarily arrested in Syria, where he was detained and then disappeared. Even though I hardly knew him, I still carry deep scars from that event. That’s why, at the age of 13—when I was dreaming of becoming an actress—I decided to become a human rights defender.
How did the Marianne Initiative help you bring your project to life?
The Marianne Initiative provided an opportunity to share our experiences with other women’s rights advocates. In my view, it’s important to defend these rights on an international scale. Human rights violations occur everywhere, and anyone can fall victim to them. In that sense, the Initiative has been very valuable to me.
Meeting the other awardees also drew my attention to other causes, such as environmental issues. These are vital topics to be mindful of in our daily lives.
These exchanges with my fellow awardees allowed me to learn more about situations in other countries. So, above all, it was meeting these women who defend human rights that benefited me the most, both personally and professionally.
Which activities were most useful to you during the program ?
All of them were useful during the program. I remember finding the training on international NGOs particularly interesting given my background. The visits also left a lasting impression on me, especially the one to the National Assembly. I enjoyed meeting members of the French government. These meetings, visits, and events allowed me to shed light on the cause I’m committed to, as well as the situation in Syria. The networking opportunities I benefited from allowed me to be recognized in France as a Marianne Initiative fellow and to be acknowledged today within the human rights community.
Furthermore, even though the 2022 program has ended, my journey with the Marianne Initiative continues. We remain actively involved with the Initiative, whether through the connections I’ve made with the other laureates from my cohort, the new laureates, or the staff members with whom I’m still in touch. I continue to attend major events, which give me the opportunity to reconnect with the Initiative’s laureates.
The Marianne Initiative has completely transformed my life. It has allowed me to develop new relationships and form new friendships. I’ve stayed in touch with Tatsiana and Nuray (Editor’s note: the Belarusian and Turkish recipients from the Class of 2022), and we continue to support one another.
What did you do after the program ended ?
At the end of the program, I chose to stay in France, given the threats I faced in Syria. I applied for asylum and was supported in my efforts by the teams at the Marianne Initiative. I now hope to apply for French citizenship.
As for my activism, I co-founded an organization with Tatsiana and Nuray called “Voix des Prisonniers” (Voices of Prisoners), dedicated to the rights of political prisoners and the issue of enforced disappearances. During the Marianne Initiative, I became very close to the other fellows who were working on the same issues as me. After the program ended, we decided together to launch a project to continue our work. Our goal is to raise public awareness about torture, enforced disappearances, and the control exercised by dictators. Through our actions, we hope to reach not only citizens of our countries of origin, but also the French and European public. Moving forward, we plan to continue developing this organization by working on our website, increasing our visibility, and seeking new funding.
In addition, I have been nominated for the Normandy Region Freedom Award by students at a French school.
Would you like to add anything else ?
Today marks the anniversary of the start of the Syrian Revolution and my husband’s imprisonment. It is a very important and difficult day for me.
