The Honored No. (30) Khalil Maatouk

• He studied law at the University of Damascus and was active in the field of human rights advocacy.
• He emerged as a lawyer but became well-known in Syria for his significant activism in defending human rights, representing various groups and numerous Syrian political prisoners, including human rights activist Mazen Darwish, communist activist Mazen Adi, and the head of the Syrian Human Rights Association, Abdul Karim Rihawi.
• In 2004, he worked as an observer for Amnesty International in Iran.
• He was active in defending political detainees, defending the signatories of the Damascus-Beirut Declaration in 2006, including Michel Kilo, Mashaal Tammo, and Anwar al-Bunni.
• He volunteered to defend the young woman Tala al-Malouhi, who was arrested in 2009 for publishing political content on her blog.
• He served as the head of the Syrian Center for the Defense of Freedom of Opinion and Expression, which led the Syrian regime to tighten security measures against him, imposing a travel ban from 2005 to 2011.
• He was arrested along with his assistant, Mohammad Zaza, on October 2, 2012, near his home in Sahnaia after being detained at a checkpoint controlled by the Syrian regime.
• The Syrian regime denied the arrest of the two men, and news of their whereabouts ceased after their detention.
• Amnesty International reported testimonies from released detainees in 2015 who claimed to have seen Khalil Ma’touk at Branch 285 of the State Security and at the Palestine Branch of Military Intelligence.
• His daughter, Raneem, was arrested by military security on February 17, 2014, while she was a student at the Faculty of Fine Arts. She was referred to the Anti-Terrorism Court two months after her arrest and was released on June 14, 2014.
• He remains subjected to enforced disappearance and his fate is unknown.

At the Syrian Future Movement, and in recognition of its rich and prominent national, political, and activist history, as well as its support for its people before and after their revolution against oppression and tyranny, and in appreciation of the contributions of Syria’s great figures and leaders, we are honored to present the Syrian Future Movement Shield this week to the humanitarian national lawyer “Khalil Ma’touk.” This symbolic Syrian shield embodies our vision and comprehensive national approach, and we hope to see him among us soon, healthy and well, just as we hope for Syria.