Sulaf Fawakherji

Sulaf Fawakherji (Arabic: سلاف فواخرجي; born 27 July 1977) is a Syrian film, TV actress and director. She has played many roles on Syrian soap operas. Fawakherji studied art and sculpture at Adham Ismail Fine Arts Institute before starring on stage in plays including Al-Sawt (The Voice) and Hekayat al-Shetaa (Winter's Tales). She was one of the torchbearer during the leg of the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay. She appeared on Syrian television in May 2011 in defense of Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian government during the civil war. She left her country and settled in Egypt following the fall of the Assad regime. Fawakherji was born on 27 July 1977 in Latakia to Mohammed Fawakherji, a film critic, and Ebtsam Adib, an author. She graduated from the Department of Archaeology of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Damascus in 1998. She was married to the actor Wael Ramadan from 1999 until April 2022, with whom she had two sons. Since the beginning of the Syrian uprising in 2011, Sulaf Fawakherji adopted a pro-government stance, consistently rejecting the term "revolution" and referring to the events as "acts of sabotage." She echoed narratives promoted by Syrian state media and aligned herself with the regime's discourse. In a televised interview with Wafaa El Kilani on Qasr al-Kalam, Fawakherji stated that Bashar al-Assad was not a dictator but a "cultured and understanding man." She also expressed her full support for the Syrian army, describing its members as "the most honorable people." She continued to maintain this position even after the fall of Assad's regime in late 2024. In several controversial interviews, she dismissed documented massacres such as the 2013 Ghouta chemical attack, calling them "media exaggerations," and questioned human rights reports on abuses in Sednaya Prison, claiming that some scenes were "fabricated." These statements sparked widespread criticism, with activists accusing her of being complicit in political and media propaganda. Fawakherji made multiple publicized visits to military outposts and conflict zones. She was photographed kissing the regime's flag and embracing soldiers on the frontlines.