Leila Sawan
Age 2626 Jun 2026
Damascus (Syria)
Not reported
Leila was found dead in her apartment in Damascus after returning to Syria after 13 years in exile in Argentina, where she was a director of a trans organization called Trans-IT.
The circumstances of her death are unclear. Those that knew Leila knew that in the last few months of her life, she was the happiest she had ever been.
Leila Sawan was an energetic and vibrant 26-year-old Syrian trans woman. She loved to dye her hair red, a deep plum color, and had green-brown eyes that caught the sunlight when she laughed, which was often. She was like a little sister to me, and every week – and sometimes every day – for five years, she and I would exchange endless banter about politics, music, recipes, and our daily lives.
In the last week of June, Leila was found dead in her apartment in Damascus after returning to Syria the first time in 13 years. The circumstances of her death are unclear. Those of us that knew Leila knew that in the last few months of her life, she was the happiest she had ever been.
The death announcement in Damascus circulated her deadname, the name she hated, and she has been remembered in a way that ignored the visionary work she did around the world and everything she fought for to do it. This feels to me like an insult to her memory.
https://aljumhuriya.net/en/2026/09/25/syrias-sarah-hegazi/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DaTJS4FkZof/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DaEMZ16GfK5/
