Rasha Omran

Rasha Omran (Arabic: رشا عمران‎) is one of Syria's most well-known poets, intellectuals and reform advocates. She has published four collections of poetry, as well as an anthology of Syrian poetry. Since the beginning of the revolution, she has publicly given her support for the uprising. “This is a dictatorial regime, [....] How can I support a government that kills its citizens?” She has marched in protests, written about her dissent, and spoken out against Assad. Assad is "not a dictator, just a gangster boss." It was Rasha Omran who coined the phrase, "the international silence on Syria is deafening.". In September 2012, Rasha Omran and four other Syrian women launched a hunger strike outside the Arab League's headquarters in Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt, demanding that the Arab League provide more support for the revolutionaries, and pressure Assad to halt the human rights abuses in Syria.