Wissam Tarif

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Born on 10 April 1975 in Lebanon's picturesque Beka'a Valley city of Zahle, Mr Tarif and his family come from the small mountain town of al-Karaoun on the banks of Lake Litani in the same region. Known for their outspoken courage, the Tarif family are remembered for their bravery when faced with the occupation of their town (notably, the family was the first to have their home blown up by the invading army). In a country built on sectarian interest, for generations the Tarifs have been known for their independent-thinking and valour.

The early years and South America

"When, at 12 years old, my friend Jude was run over by a military tank, I was splattered by his flesh. I can still taste the burning skin whenever I remember it. It was something that changed my life, made me aware of the importance of being human, being a person," Tarif recalls.

Having grown up with the sounds, smells and tragedy of continuous conflict all his life, at the age of 14, Wissam Tarif was sent by his family to South America, where he joined some elder brothers who had been sent ahead of him. From a very early age, though, he assumed and adopted a strong sense of responsibility towards himself and others.

His early experiences, followed by an awareness of suffering, accompanied him even when abroad in Paraguay and Argentina, where he spent years working and studying. This did not prevent him, however, from participating in the successful student movement to topple the Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner, which ended with the latter's downfall in February 1989.[1] Reaping the fruits of an iron dedication to studies, he obtained both a Bachelor's degree in Educational Psychology (1994) and a Masters in International Relations and Diplomacy (1996), following which he returned to Lebanon in 1997.

Back in Beirut and then Syria

Immersing himself in civil society institutions in Beirut, he started by working for Greenpeace where he began to get a feel for the region's concerns at grass roots level, making his initial appearance on the opinion and analysis pages of well-known and respected Middle Eastern newspapers and magazines. Coming, as he did, to the attention of numerous politicians and leading intellectuals in Lebanon (as was the case with the redoubtable Samir Kassir, with whom a warm friendship grew)[2] and elsewhere, Mr Tarif soon became an integral part of intellectual life in Beirut. Anxious, however, to continue contributing to democracy and human rights values in the region, he eventually moved to Damascus, Syria, where he founded a highly successful cultural centre, LCCI.

Parallel to this, Mr Tarif became a prime mover of the Opposition forces in Syria, working closely with well-known artist, political dissident and human rights leader Kamal Labwani, (sent to jail in Syria on a 15 year term for his advocacy of democracy) to found the Liberal Democratic Union. Tarif worked to support and promote the values of a movement known as the "Damascus Spring" [3], which blossomed following the coming to power of the new President of Syria, Bashaar al-Assad. Sadly, the hope of those early days was soon smashed with the tightening of the Syrian regime's grip on power which led to the imprisonment of the majority of voices claiming freedom and democracy.

Working for democracy

Since then, Wissam Tarif has led a well-known and continuous campaign for the democratisation of Syria, Lebanon and the Middle East. Appreciated for his in-depth political and strategic published analyses, Tarif is known for a style of leadership based on personal and principled example. Warm, but at the same time, strong in his convictions regarding the need for Democracy, he has made an impressive reputation not only among the diplomatic and political communities in Lebanon and Syria in particular, but amongst intellectuals, communicators and thinkers.

Often invited to stand for election in Lebanon, Tarif has all the makings of a successful politician. Yet it is an invitation he is unable to accept, feeling as he does the need to speak plainly, openly and truthfully of the real needs of the region.

"I was interrogated 17 times by the Syrian security police during my time in Syria. There have been various attempts on my life throughout my years of activism for freedom and against totalitarianism. I will continue doing that," he explains as he talks about his role as Director of the Middle East human rights organisation,the Foundation for the Defense of Prisoners of Conscience (FDPOC).

The Foundation for the Defense of Prisoners of Conscience (FDPOC)

"FDPOC works in Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia in particular. We have a stream of constant, daily information coming to us from those countries from a base of on-the-ground activists and researchers who ensure, without fear of personal cost to their lives, that the rest of the world gets to hear about the violations of human rights taking place there. We will continue to support those defenders, because without them there are no human rights in the world. We will continue to appreciate and value the work of those courageous individuals."

"FDPOC and its Board of Trustees are active both nationally and internationally. We have now established offices in Europe, which work closely with individual European states and their politicians and NGOs, and also with the European Union and EU parliamentarians. This has already seen us active in lobbying in the interests of Syrian, Iranian and Saudi citizens - people who, in their own country, are unable to speak openly without facing at times inhuman penalties and treatment."

Mr Tarif, a tireless worker in favour of human rights and democracy in the region of the Middle East ("most of my friends in the region are either in jail for advocating democracy or have been assassinated"), is also an indefatigable traveler. Not only around the Middle East, the European Union, the USA, and the World - but also on the road to finding lasting and dignified human change for the people of the region.

References

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