Syria's Prime Minister Is Latest High-Profile Defection

August 06, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

There have now been 41 political and military defections from among President Assad's ranks and prime minister Riyad Hijab is the most high profile yet. In March, Brigadier General Manaf Tlass defected. He is the highest ranking military official to leave, and the only one of Assad's inner circle. General Mohamad Faris also had enough. He was one of Syria's high ranking intelligence officers and the country's first man in space. Syria's first senior diplomat announced his defection in July. Nawaf al-Fares was Assad's ambassador to Baghdad, and a close friend of the President. He's been followed by Syria's charge d'affaries to both Cyprus and London.

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Riad Hijab

Riyad Farid Hijab, born 1966 is a Syrian politician. He was Prime Minister of Syria from June to August 2012, serving under President Bashar al-Assad. From 2011 to 2012, he was Minister of Agriculture. On 6 August 2012, the Syrian government released a statement saying that Hi... Explore this topic

Bashar al-Assad

Bashar Hafez al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Syrian-led branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. He has served as President since 2000, when he succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had ruled Syria for 30 years prior to his death. Al-Assa... Explore this topic

Syria

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest. A country of fertile plains, high mountains and deserts, i... Explore this topic

Defection

In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, it involves abandoning a person, cause or doctrine to which one is bound by some tie, as ... Explore this topic

Ba'ath Party

The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology mixing Arab nationalist, pan-Arabism, Arab socialist and anti-imperialist interest... Explore this topic

Syrian Civil War

The Syrian civil war is an ongoing armed conflict in Syria between forces loyal to the Syrian Ba'ath Party government and those seeking to oust it. The conflict began on 15 March 2011, with popular demonstrations that grew nationwide by April 2011. These demonstrations were pa... Explore this topic

Politics of Syria

Politics in the Syrian Arab Republic takes place in the framework of what is officially a parliamentary republic, but what is considered an authoritarian government where the power is in the hands of the President of Syria and his family, all members of the ruling Arab Sociali... Explore this topic

Manaf Tlass

Manaf Tlass is a former Brigadier General of the Syrian Republican Guard and member of Bashar al-Assad's inner circle. Explore this topic

Muhammed Faris

Muhammed Ahmed Faris is a Syrian military aviator. He was the first Syrian and the second Arab in space. Born in Aleppo, Syria, he was a pilot in the Syrian Air Force with the rank of a colonel. He specialized in navigation when he was selected to participate in the Intercosmo... Explore this topic

Nawaf al-Fares

Nawaf al-Fares is the former Syrian ambassador to Iraq who defected from the ruling regime led by Bashar Assad on 11 July 2012 during the Syrian uprising. Explore this topic

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Riad Hijab

Bashar al-Assad

Syria

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