File:Former Syrian President Hafez al Assad.jpg

English: Hafez al-Assad, 6 October 1930 – 10 June 2000) was the President of Syria for three decades. Born to a poor family of minority Alawite background, he served in the Syrian air force, before rising through the ranks of the Syrian-led branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, and seizing power in the 1970 Corrective Revolution. He purged the party, introducing Alawite rule of Syria, who came to occupy leading positions in every sector of Syrian society.

On the one hand, Assad's rule consolidated the power of the central government, bringing stability after decades of coups and counter-coups, and continued foreign influence related to the cold war. His rule brought changes, including the 1973 constitution which stated that it guaranteed women's "equal status in society". Assad attempted to industrialize the country, and it was opened up to foreign markets. Oil was discovered, and some degree of the revenue invested in infrastructure, education, medicine, literacy and urban construction.

On the other hand, he also drew criticism for repression of his own people, in particular for ordering the 1982 Hama massacre, which has been described as "the single deadliest act by any Arab government against people in the modern Middle East"; as well as others such as the Tadmor Prison massacre, the Siege of Aleppo, Sabra and Shatila massacre, Tel al-Zaatar massacre and the October 13 massacre. Additionally, Human Rights groups have detailed thousands of extrajudicial executions he committed against opponents of his regime. He was succeeded by his son Bashar al-Assad, current president, in 2000.