OCCRP names Bashar al-Assad “Person of the Year”
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) designated on Tuesday ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as its 2024 “Person of the Year” in recognition of his global impact on organized crime and corruption.
Al-Assad fled to Russia on Dec. 8 following his overthrow by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and affiliated factions during Operation “Deterring Aggression.”
In a statement released on Tuesday, the OCCRP explained that its annual “Person of the Year” award, established in 2012, highlights individuals who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to spreading chaos through criminal networks and corruption.
The recipient is selected by a panel of experts from civil society, academia, and journalism.
The report detailed al-Assad’s authoritarian regime, characterized by centralized control, the suppression of dissent, and reliance on a powerful security apparatus.
His forces have been implicated in widespread human rights violations, including torture, killings, chemical weapon attacks, mass detentions, and the deliberate targeting of civilians.
The OCCRP emphasized that Assad’s regime secured billions of dollars to sustain its brutal dictatorship while exporting violence, narcotics, and organized crime across the region.
“In addition to being a dictator like his father before him, Assad added unimaginable dimensions of crime and corruption, ruining the lives of countless people even outside the border of his own country,” said Daraj.com co-founder Alia Ibrahim, who was a judge in the contest this year. “The political, economic, and social damage caused by Assad, both in Syria and in the region, will take decades to overcome.”