2024-12-14
23 分钟Syrians have finally got their voices back. After 50 years of living under the cruelty of their President, Bashar al-Assad, they can now speak freely without fear, although some are still cautious. We talk to Syrians across the country, including Ibraheem from Aleppo. He tells host Mark Lowen: “I couldn’t ever think of this moment… this is years and years of fear and hate that has ended. Mark also speaks to three women, relieved to see the end of Assad but uncertain about what the future holds for their country. And we bring together Syrians in Germany, Italy and Turkey to discuss their reaction to the downfall of Assad and ask whether they plan to return to their homeland.
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Hello, I'm Mark Lohan.
Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service.
Each week in BBC OS Conversations, we bring people together to share their experiences.
This time, it's conversations with Syrians.
After the fall of Assad, Syrians have finally got their voices back.
After 50 years of living under the cruelty of their president, Bashar Al Assad, they can now speak freely without fear, although some are still cautious.
In today's episode, we talk with Syrians across the country and also those living abroad who fled the brutal regime.
Now Syria is free.
It's really, really important for us Syrians to return to our homeland.
It's not just about rebuilding Syria.
It's about reclaiming the identity and the future of Syria.
One of those Syrians abroad is Qusay, who now lives in Germany.
Later in this edition, he tells us how he couldn't sleep for days as he watch the dramatic events unfold on tv.
Remy is a dentist in Aleppo in Syria.
During our conversation with her, she describes how she cried with joy when she heard the news.
That news was the collapse of the Assad family dictatorship.
After more than 50 years, President Assad escaped to Russia as Islamist rebel groups claimed control of the country in a lightning offensive.
In just 12 days, they swept from Aleppo in the north down to the capital, Damascus, with little resistance.
And this week, for the first time in their lives, many Syrians have felt liberated enough to discuss their experiences of Assad's oppression and corruption.