At the political funeral of comrade Ammar Bagdash, held on Wednesday 23 July at the Kaisariani cemetery in Athens, comrade Al-Hadi Maarouf, member of the International Relations Office of the Syrian Communist Party read the eulogy written by comrade Khaled Bagdash, member of the Central Committee of the Syrian Communist Party and son of comrade Ammar Bagdash. The eulogy reads as follows:

“Dear comrades, friends and distinguished guests,

Today we bid farewell to Comrade Dr. Ammar Bagdash, a patriot revolutionary communist militant and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Syrian Communist Party.My father was raised in a patriotic, communist family. He was the son of the leader of the Syrian communists, comrade Khaled Bagdash, and the militant Wissal Farha Bagdash. From childhood, he was raised with the values of defending the poor and oppressed. He believed that the tragedies of humanity could only be overcome and that a society of social justice, cooperation, and brotherhood could only be established on the basis of social ownership of the means of production under the power of the proletariat.
He did not consider Marxism-Leninism to be merely an ideology to be memorized; rather he saw it as a daily practice leading to the right path. An inspiration to all who knew him, he possessed encyclopaedic knowledge and was always happy to answer his comrades’ questions on ideology, economy, history, politics, literature, poetry, resistance, and life itself.
My father was renowned for his courage and boldness in his patriotic, class-based, and internationalist views. He always emphasized that the future of humanity, including national liberation, lies in the hands of the working masses, who have nothing to lose but their chains. He was certain that victory would belong to those who place their hope in these masses and fight under their banner—the banner of national liberation and social justice.
He carried the concerns of his homeland in his heart until his last moments, and Syria remained in his heart and consciousness. Damascus was always on his mind. No matter how far he travelled, he longed for it, dreaming of returning to it free, proud, and triumphant.
Although he has now passed away far from Damascus, I am sure that he will remain present in every corner of the city that he loved, just as he will remain alive in our hearts and minds for as long as we live.
He was deeply pained by the events that our homeland was experiencing following the brutal attack by its enemies. He clearly saw that the obscurantist, authoritarian regime was no patriotic, but rather a power - agent of imperialism and reactionary regimes, subservient to Israel and hostile to the people in all aspects of its domestic policy. He always maintained that the right path for our country is the struggle for freedom, full national sovereignty and territorial integrity by establishing a democratic national government radically opposed to the authoritarian regime of the agents. His last words still
ring in my ears: ‘We hold the burning torch tightly in our hands, and we will not lose our way, no matter how deep the darkness.’Dear comrades,
Even though I am not with you in person at this moment, I know that you are my family and his family, and that your love, as you bid him farewell on his final journey in Athens, is the balm that soothes the pain of separation.
Today, I would like to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to the comrades of the Communist Party of Greece and its revolutionary leadership for being our best support and his safe haven.
From the moment he arrived in Athens, they stood by him, accompanying him until the moment of his passing and taking charge of the funeral ceremony. They will safeguard his body, until this black cloud is dispelled from the sky of our country.
Oh, my father... my role model, my teacher, and my dear friend... Today, I have lost you, my father, and an entire nation has lost a great militant, a free thinker, and a great man. But before this distinguished gathering, I promise you that I will remain faithful to your legacy and the principles on which you based our life...
We will remain faithful to the path you walked; the path of freedom, dignity, and socialism, until our homeland sweeps away the filth of the colonialists and all their tools, and becomes free, sovereign and united once more.
Rest in peace, Abu Khaled... Your party lives on... and your comrades continue in your footsteps... The seeds that you have sown will live on in us, and your path will continue to be a beacon for us to follow until freedom and justice are achieved in the homeland you loved.”

25.07.25