Anas Al-Sheghri ( ar, أنس الشغري; born 1988) was a leading activist in the protests in the beginning of the Syrian Civil War.

Life and Activism

Anas Ali Al-Shegri was born in the village of al-Baydha near the city of

Banyas Banyas may refer to: *Banias Banias or Banyas ( ar, بانياس الحولة; he, בניאס, label=Modern Hebrew; Judeo-Aramaic, Medieval Hebrew: פמייס, etc.; grc, Πανεάς) is a site in the Golan Heights near a natural spring, on ...

. He was in his third year as a student at the School of Economics at Latakia Tishreen University, when the Syrian Uprising against the government of

Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...

erupted in March 2011. According to his biography a
Free Syrian Translators
website, Anas played a leading role in stimulating the protests that called for democracy and for the toppling of al-Assad's government in the city of Banyas, which is considered the second city to rebel in Syria after

Daraa Daraa ( ar, دَرْعَا, Darʿā, Levantine Arabic: , also Darʿā, Dara’a, Deraa, Dera'a, Dera, Derʿā and Edrei; means "''fortress''", compare Dura-Europos) is a city in southwestern Syria, located about north of the border with Jordan ...

. Anas had also played an important role in the media coverage of the uprising. He was one of the first Syrian activists inside the country to speak to the Media using his real name. It is also important to mention that Banyas was the first city to broadcast its demonstrations live to the news media. Anas was arrested on May 14, 2011 when the Syrian army and the security forces along with the

Shabbiha ''Shabiha'' (Levantine Arabic: ', ; also romanized ''Shabeeha'' or ''Shabbiha''; ) is a term for state sponsored militias of the Syrian government. However, in the Aleppo Governorate the term Shabiha is used frequently to refer to pro-Assad Sun ...

stormed the city of Banyas. Dunia TV (which is very close to the Syrian government) announced that the reason behind Anas' arrest is his alleged involvement in an attempt to establish an Islamic State and his appointment as the "Minister of Interior" in this alleged state. The fate of Anas and his whereabouts are not yet known. It is not affirmed whether he has died at some detention center that belongs to one of the various Intelligence agencies in Syria or he is still alive. What is certain, though, is that he became one of the icons of the Syrian revolution against Bashar al-Assad.

Sources

Free Syrian Translators: Faces from the Syrian Revolution: Anas Al-Sheghri
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheghri, Anas Al- 1988 births Living people Syrian democracy activists Syrian dissidents Date of birth missing (living people)