[3] Sabra was born to a Christian family in the city of Qatana in Rif Dimashq Governorate on 11 July 1947.

He is one of the writers for the Arabic version, Iftah Ya Simsim, of the children's show Sesame Street.

He joined the Syrian Communist Party (Political Bureau) in 1970 and was elected to its Central Committee in 1985.

Sabra was one of 250 people who signed the Damascus Declaration in 2005, which called for peaceful reform in Syria.

Sabra said that the SNC is "no longer devoted to the principles of the revolution and the goals of the [Syrian] people".