(Zaman Al Wasl)- Abdullah al-Khateeb, the Syrian Palestinian activist and one of the most prominent faces of aid in Yarmouk camp in southern Damascus was awarded the award for living history, Historia Levande for Forum, in Stockholm.
He was awarded the honor based on his role as a founder of the Palestinian League for Human Rights in Syria which works to document the violations suffered by Palestinians in Syria. As the awardees said about al-Khateeb being awarded the honor, “his brave struggle for human rights and his documentation of the violations of war since the start of the rebellion against the dictatorship in Syria in 2011.”
Al-Khateeb will not be able to receive his award in person because of the siege of Yarmouk camp, and it is expected that Salim Salameh, the current league representative will receive the award in his stead.
Al-Khateeb clarified to Zaman al-Wasl that the award is a moral honor for him and his team, and it motivates them to continue with enthusiasm in the message he has dedicated himself to. He indicated that he did not expect to win the award and he was not expecting any compensation for his work in the camp or in the Syrian revolution.
Al-Khateeb confirmed that the threats and challenges which face his fellow activists are many, but there is no option before them but to continue working until the end. He added, “hundreds have been martyred along this path, and it is not our right to retreat or give up.”
He added, “our only option is to go forward in entrenching and stabilizing our right, using all legitimate means… It is my personal duty to present all that I have of expertise to my people and defend their rights even if I pay the price of my stand with my life.”
Al-Khateeb continued saying, “I am not sure I will be alive after 5 or 10 years, but I am sure I will continue the work I believe in, and I will use all non-violent means available.”
Abdullah al-Khateeb was born in Damascus in 1989, a Palestinian resident in Syria. He studied sociology in Damascus University and was suspended from the university by the Syrian regime due to this stand regarding the events ongoing in Syria. In July 2016, al-Khateeb escaped an assassination attempt, and he has been targeted by the regime, al-Nusra Front, and Islamic State due to his reporting of human rights violations.
Prior to the revolution, he worked with several international and local organizations in Syria with a focus on youth development and participation. Among the organizations were the SOS village, UNRWA, Palestinian Red Crescent, and UNICEF.
Following the revolution, he along with a group of Palestinian and Syrian youths founded Basima a social organization focusing on aid and development work.
The organization has executed tens of projects in several Syrian areas the most important being al-Yarmouk camp. The organization started aid, agricultural, medical, educational and infrastructural projects to help lessen the suffering of civilians due to the effects of the ongoing war.
Al-Khateeb also contributed to founding the Palestinian League for Human Rights in 2012, which is licensed in Sweden. He worked to build the first training center in the southern part of Damascus, Watad Center for Training and Development which works to develop civilian activists’ skills in managing, planning, media, documentation and photography. Al-Khateeb was chosen by Greenpeace magazine as Peace Creator of the year in 2014.
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