The Syrian opposition figurehead and writer Michel Kilo was laid to rest in Paris on Monday after a funeral attended by dozens of friends and relatives.

Among those who came to celebrate his life at the Saint-Pierre-de-Montrouge church were prominent Syrian opposition activists such as Burhan Ghalioun, George Sabra and Manaf Tlass.

Also attending on behalf of French President Emmanuel Macron, and a representative of the French foreign ministry was Emmanuel Bonne.

Due to coronavirus, the funeral was limited to 30 of Kilo’s closest friends, chosen by his family, in line with the health authorities’ directives.

Michel Kilo’s funeral was attended by dozens of mourners. Kilo was laid to rest in the Bagneux Parisian Cemetery. He passed away last week after a battle with coronavirus.

Before he died, he penned a final message to the Syrian people, which The New Arab’s sister site described as his “political will.”

In it, he called on his compatriots to “ignore antagonistic and vindictive mentalities” and unite.

Racha Abazied of the Arab Centre for Political Studies and Research described Kilo as someone who “hoped one day to witness the birth of a free and inclusive state in his homeland; one respectful of pluralism and human rights.”

“It is a cruel twist of historical fate when a patriotic voice for the opposition is extinguished in exile while the tyrants remain in power,” she continued.