Tens of thousands of Syrians took to the streets in Damascus and other cities to celebrate the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Jubilant mobs thronged to historic locations such as the Umayyad Mosque, in response to calls received by Ahmed al-Sharaa (alias Abu Mohammed al-Jolani), rebel leader. In this, an Islamist leader called on to “celebrate” the “blessed revolution’s victory.
Music reverberated through the heart of Damascus’s Umayyad Square as Syrians displayed antigovernment signs and brand songs of revolution. Civilians, some wearing combat gear, mingled among members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), even reciting pro-Syrian Liberation poems.
Sara al-Zobi, a university student originally from Deraa, called the moment historic, saying, “We are gathering to celebrate freedom and to rebuild Syria hand-in-hand.
Fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime ends 50 years of family rule
Assad has absconded to Russia on Sunday, having ended 50 years of his family’s rule. The dictatorship collapsed within days and left a trail of fear and repression.
Yet, the joy was eclipsed by chilling images elsewhere in Damascus. Families went to a central mortuary to look for the bodies of relatives who had vanished into Assad’s infamous prisons. Caskets lining up in rows, having come out of Saydnaya prison, which is popularly called the “human slaughterhouse,” bore all signs of starvation and torture.
Forensic specialist Aslan Ibrahim showed the terrible condition of the bodies. One journalist’s remains showed broken limbs and extensive bruises. Many families were in tears, unable to find closure.
The demise of Assad also revealed the totalistic nature of his regime. In Kafr Sousa, beneath the state security headquarters, tiny, filthy cells revealed the horrors detainees endured just steps away from busy streets. Nearby, piles of documents and computer servers highlighted the regime’s vast surveillance apparatus, which monitored and controlled Syrian lives for decades.
Although Syria is starting a new chapter, the memories of its history are still fresh icons of a long scar on the freedom of a nation.
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