Kholoud Waleed

Kholoud Waleed [1]
Born
Darayya، Syria
NationalitySyrian
Alma materDamascus University
Employernewspaper Enab Baladi.
Known forjournalist Anna Politkovskaya Award for her reporting about the Syrian Civil War

Kholoud Waleed is a Syrian journalist, and co-founder and editor of the underground newspaper Enab Baladi. She is a recipient of the Anna Politkovskaya Award for her reporting about the Syrian Civil War.

Early life

Waleed grew up in Darayya and studied English Literature at Damascus University before becoming a teacher in her native Syria.[2][3] As a result of the Darayya massacre, she left the town and fled to the countryside with her family.[3]

Work as journalist and activism

Not having any journalistic training, Waleed teamed up with friends to report about civil war in Syria. As their work gained momentum, they created the newspaper Enab Baladi with the intention of reporting the "voice of the vulnerable".[2][4]

Waleed and the newspaper claim that they have been subject to threats from multiple parties involved in the war which prompted her to live in hiding.[5] Her brother was arrested by government forces in 2012 and his fate is unknown.[3] For a period of time she was exiled in Turkey.[6]

Despite this, she also organised demonstrations, demanding democracy and free speech as well as highlighting human rights abuses.[7] In 2015 she was awarded the Anna Politkovskaya Award for her continued efforts as a journalist.[5]

References

  1. ^ Syrian journalist Kholoud Waleed speaks of how she began and still runs an underground newspaper against the Bashar al-Assad regime
  2. ^ a b "Kholoud Waleed: Syrian Journalist And Bravest Woman In The World". Marie Claire. 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  3. ^ a b c Boffey, Daniel (2016-05-08). "Gaziantep: home to Isis killers, sex traders… and a quest to rebuild Syria". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  4. ^ "Making waves: Kholoud Waleed". New Internationalist. 2016-03-01. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  5. ^ a b "Syrian Journalist Wins Award for Courageous Reporting Despite Dangers". VOA. Reuters. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  6. ^ Davis, David; Cordesman, Anthony; Hassan, Hassan; Frouin, Camille; Waleed, Kholoud (2015-11-29). "Should parliament endorse UK air strikes in Syria?". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  7. ^ "Kholoud Waleed (Syria) 2015: Winner of the Anna Politkovskaya Award – Raw In War". www.rawinwar.org. Retrieved 2018-06-20.