Suheir Atassi

{{Short description|Syrian politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Suheir al-Atassi

| image = Suheir al-Atassi (cropped).jpg

| office = Vice President of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces

| term_start = 12 November 2012

| term_end = 4 January 2015

| predecessor = Position established

| successor = Noura al-Ameer

| alongside = Riad Seif

| president = Moaz al-Khatib

| alt =

| caption = Atassi in 2013

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1971}}

| birth_place = Damascus, Syria

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = Syrian

| other_names =

| relations = Jamal al-Atassi (father)

| known_for = Democracy activist
Women's activist
Secular activist

| occupation = Vice-president of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces
Lawyer

| alma_mater = Damascus University

| native_name_lang = ar

| native_name = {{nobold|سهير الأتاسي}}

}}

Suheir al-Atassi ({{langx|ar|سهير الأتاسي|Suhair al-ʾAtāsī}}; born 1971) is a Syrian secular activist in the Syrian opposition, and co-vice-president of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces between November 2012 and December 2013.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20295857 Syria crisis: Gulf states recognise Syria opposition] She has been called the "Lady of the Revolution" and is widely respected in secular and intellectual circles within the Syrian opposition structure.{{cite news|url=http://www.sharnoffsglobalviews.com/assad-opposition-094/|title=Assad May Defeat Opposition|first=Joel|last=Parker|publisher=Sharnoff's Global Views |date=May 31, 2013|access-date=September 2, 2013}} She had previously run the media wing of the banned Jamal Atassi Forum, which was named after her father, a founding member of the Ba'ath Party who later left and founded the Democratic Arab Socialist Union.{{Cite web |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/2011/02/201129135657367367.html |title=Q&A: Syrian activist Suhair Atassi |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=9 February 2011 |access-date=13 February 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110212112539/http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/2011/02/201129135657367367.html| archive-date= 12 February 2011 | url-status= live}}

Suheir Atassi was born in Damascus in 1971 to a prominent political family from Homs. She is daughter of Jamal al-Din al-Atassi, prominent pan-Arabist in Syria.{{cite web|url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2016/1/22/profiling-the-members-of-the-syrian-opposition-negotiations-team|title=Who are the members of Syria's opposition delegation?|date=22 January 2016 |publisher=The New Arab}} She studied French literature and education at the University of Damascus, and was active in the Damascus Spring, helping to form and run the Jamal al-Atassi Forum. She revived the forum online in 2009 in order to help promote democracy and human rights in Syria.{{Cite web |url=http://carnegie-mec.org/publications/?fa=48619 |title=Suhair al-Atassi |publisher=Carnegie Middle East Center |access-date=12 November 2012}} On 16 March 2011 she was arrested for her activities. After her release, she had to go into hiding before fleeing Syria to Jordan and then France.{{fact|date=December 2022}}

In December 2013, Atassi resigned as Vice-President of the exile 'National Coalition' after the Assistance Coordination Unit, an opposition aid agency, went on strike over claims of mismanagement of aid delivery and funding. She said she would keep her position as chairwoman for the Assistance Coordination Unit, based in Turkey.{{cite web |title=Suhair Atassi Resigns From Coalition |publisher=The Syrian Observer |date=4 December 2013 |url=https://syrianobserver.com/foreign-actors/suhair_atassi_resigns_from_coalition.html }} On 25 April 2018, Atassi resigned from the National Coalition itself, citing the SNC's relations with Russia.{{cite web|url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2018/4/25/three-members-of-leading-syria-opposition-coalition-resign|title=Three Syria opposition coalition members resign over 'Russian control of peace talks'|work=Al-Araby Al-Jadeed|date=25 April 2018}}