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Name: Alaa Basatneh
Based in: Washington D.C.
Current Occupation: Educational Diplomacy,
Speaks: Arabic, English
Website/Blog URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ala%27a_Basatneh
LinkedIn Profile: https://linkedin.com/in/alaa-basatneh
X Profile: https://x.com/AlaaBasatneh
Biography
Alaa Basatneh is a young Syrian activist. She uses social media to connect activists in Syria with each other, and with the international community. Born in Damascus, Syria, Alaa came to the United States with her family when she was six months old. She became an activist at the age of 19 after seeing that the oppressive Syrian regime had imprisoned, tortured and killed students from a school in Daraa, just outside Damascus for writing “down with the regime” on the school wall. Syrians took to the streets in Daraa in a “Day of Rage” and the regime responded with deadly force. Alaa, shocked that this kind of horror could happen to students her age, was catapulted in to action.
Through her work, Alaa has helped to coordinate protests, identify safe escape routes and collect video footage and photos of protests. Alaa became a medium between activists in Syria and the international media, organizing interviews and reporting up-to-date news from the ground. The impact of her efforts has been chronicled in the award-winning documentary, #ChicagoGirl: The Social Network Takes on a Dictator.
Due to Alaa’s work to support the Syrian revolution and bring international attention to the deadly actions of the Syrian regime, she has received numerous threats from intelligence services and extremist groups as a result of which she was not able to visit Syria for fear of safety. Despite that, she has continued her activism from afar.
Area(s) of Expertise
Democracy, Disability Rights, Gender Equality, Human Rights, International Security, Media, Peace Building, Refugees, Migration, IDPs, Social Movements, Transitional Justice, Women Peace and Security
Region of Expertise
Middle East
Country of Focus
Syria
United states
Qatar
