The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) extends its heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the Syrian actress Mai Skaf, who passed away on Monday, the 23 rd of July, 2018, in Paris, after internal bleeding in the brain.

Skaf was born on the 13th of April, 1969 and studied French literature at the University of Damascus.  Her talent in acting emerged and drew the attention of prominent directors when she played some roles in plays in the French Cultural Center.  However, she became famous for her roles in TV series and movies, including Al-Ababid, and Khan Al-Harir, and Asrar Al-Shasha.

After the beginning of the revolution, she was arrested for the first time in the summer of 2011 with a number of actors and artists who were preparing to go out in a demonstration that was known as the “demonstration of intellectuals” in Al-Midan neighborhood in Damascus. Many of these arrested artists were charged with many charges including “undermining state security.”

Later, after being harassed and threatened [by the Syrian Regime’s security forces] and as artistic production companies boycotted her because of her political position, she had to leave Syria to Jordan, and settled later in France in 2013. There, she continued her struggle to support the revolution she believed in, and participated in many political activities. She joined the protests supporting liberty and justice and demanding political change in Syria, and continued to write on social media. The last thing she wrote was “I will not lose hope … I will not lose hope …  It is Great Syria, Al-Assad Syria.”