Majd Chourbaji

Majd Chourbaji has been a tireless advocate for women’s leadership in politics and peace building and a longtime defender of women and detainee rights. In 2011, when Syrians across the country first began demanding respect for human rights from the Asad regime, Ms. Chourbaji helped lead the call for reform and change from her hometown in Darayya. As the Asad regime’s imprisonment of civil activists skyrocketed, she quickly turned her attention to the rights of prisoners. In December 2012, Ms. Chourbaji herself became a victim when the Asad regime arrested her for organizing sit-ins calling for the release of thousands of political prisoners. Despite abuses she endured, Ms. Chourbaji was not deterred from her work. She organized workshops on peace building and citizenship among her fellow prisoners and persuaded 150 women detainees to stage a strike to demanding due process. These nonviolent activities pressured the Asad regime to allow these women access to the court system in Damascus. Subsequently, 83 women were released, including Ms. Chourbaji. She was forced to leave Syria, however, and relocate to Lebanon after being pursued by the Asad regime’s intelligence services. Today, she continues her work on the rights of prisoners and on making sure other Syrian women’s voices are heard. As the public relations director for the Women Now for Development centers in Lebanon, Ms. Chourbaji has helped Syrian women take on leadership roles in their communities and has prepared them to fully participate in peace building efforts at the local and national level.