red in Law and English Literature at the University of Aleppo. She was an active dissident on Facebook prior to the Arab Spring, and quickly became one of the most prominent and outspoken anti-Assad voices following the outbreak of the Syrian uprising that began in January, 2011.

On March 10, 2011, Kouki was arrested for distributing pro-democracy flyers and was jailed for 40 days. She was arrested for participating in pro-democracy demonstrations on August 13, 2011, and again on September 11, 2011, when she was imprisoned for an additional week. After realizing that she was wanted by Syrian intelligence forces, Kouki left Syria on December 23, 2011.

Kouki relocated to Cairo following a long trip that lead her through Turkey, France, and Tunisia. While residing in Egypt, she was beaten and threatened in her apartment on February 22, 2012, by Bashar Assad’s Shabiha. Hadeel left Egypt on March 11, 2012, to testify at the United Nations, providing the details of her experience in Syria and briefing the UN on the current situation for Syrians today. She continues to advocate on behalf of the Syrian people.