Noureddin Mustafa Ali al-Atassi (Arabic: نور الدين مصطفى الأتاسي, romanized: Nūr ad-Dīn Muṣṭafā al-'Atasī, 11 January 1929 – 3 December 1992) was President of Syria from February 1966 to November 1970.

Early life and education

Atassi was born in Homs in 1929 to the famous Al Atassi family.[1]

Career

Atassi was a medical doctor by training, and in that capacity aided the Algerian forces against the French in the Algerian War of Independence. A longtime ideologue of the powerful Ba'ath Party Atassi became its General Secretary as well as President of the Republic in 1966.[2] He was considered to be largely a ceremonial figurehead, with real power vested in the Deputy General Secretary, Salah Jadid. In 1970, he was deposed along with Salah Jadid in a coup by Hafez al-Assad, his defense minister.[3]

Arrest and death

Along with other members of the government, al-Atassi was put under arrest without trial following the coup of 1970.[4] Then he was transferred to the Mezze military prison in Damascus where he lived from 1970 to 1992.[2] After 22-year imprisonment, he was released and flown to Paris to receive medical treatment in France on 22 November 1992, and died at a hospital in December 1992.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Atassi, Nureddin (Mustafa) al-". Rulers. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "Nureddin al-Atassi, 63; Former Syria President". The New York Times. p. 27.
  3. ^ "Nureddin Atassi; Ex-President of Syria, Toppled in Coup". Los Angeles Times. 5 December 1992. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  4. ^ "Further information on medical letter writing action- Syria: Dr Nour al-Din al-Atassi and others". 7 December 1992. Retrieved 5 September 2010.