Aref Dalila
| Aref Dalila عارف دليلة |
|
|---|---|
| Born | 1942 Latakia, Syria |
| Alma mater | Moscow University |
| Occupation | Dean of the Faculty of Economics in Damascus University (former), economics professor |
| Organization | National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change (2011-present) |
| Known for | 2001-08 imprisonment |
| Movement | Damascus Spring |
Aref Dalila (Arabic: عارف دليلة) (born 1942) is a Syrian economist and former Dean of the Faculty of Economics in Damascus University. He is currently working as a Senior Economic Researcher at Orient Research Center in the UAE. He was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment in 2002 on charges of "trying to corrupt the constitution, inciting armed rebellion and spreading false information" for his political activity during the Damascus Spring period, and imprisoned until released by presidential pardon in 2008.
Born in Latakia, Dalila holds a doctorate in economics from Moscow University. In the 1980s, he worked in Kuwait. Later he returned to Syria, taking the post of Dean of Economics at Damascus University. In 1998, however, his criticism of the economic policies of President Hafez Assad allegedly led to his being banned from teaching.
Following his dismissal, he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the People's Council of Syria.
In 2000, Dalila was active in the "Damascus Spring", the title used for the period of political activism that followed following the death of former president Assad in June 2000 and the succession to the presidency of his son, Bashar Assad. During a general crackdown on the Damascus Spring activists, Dalila was arrested in Damascus on 9 September 2001, reportedly following a lecture advocating greater democracy and transparency in government and an end to corruption. The lecture was titled "The Syrian Economy: problems and solutions" and also addressed Syria's worsening economy and called for the abolition of state monopolies.
Dalila's lawyer, Anwar al-Bunni, reported that Dalila was beaten by police during his subsequent interrogation, presenting as evidence a blood-stained handkerchief. Upon making the allegation, al-Bunni was banned from future practice before the Supreme State Security Court. On 31 July 2002, Dalila was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment.
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