Syria - The Revolution

Living in Assad’s Syria before the revolution was like living my life
in a big prison. But the walls and boundaries were in my thoughts
and my dreams.
I was afraid everywhere, because the security forces could arrest me at
any time and torture me and even kill me if I was talking about banned
topics.
And those who should be telling the truth: journalists, media and
teachers were corrupted by money and power.
Or too scared to tell the truth.
When the revolution came, I was filled with hope. It was what I had
waited for, in so many years.
I remember my first demonstration.
I was so scared. I could not imagine that I would be able to shout
loudly about the frustration I felt.
I remember that I took a few steps into the demonstration, and then
backed away, and then dared to rejoin again.
Shouting freely from my heart was so foreign to me.
But I was filled with life, felt alive, as if someone had slept inside me
all these years and just woke up.
It was as if something inside me began to grow there, like a seed that
has been in the dark for many years who suddenly feel the earth and
sun and water.
My heart began to beat, and my heart demanded freedom.
Although I knew that I could die in the demonstration, I knew I had
to be there. For the first time I was able to explain all the feelings and
thoughts that had been hidden. For the first time I was able to talk
about the ugly truth about Assad’s dictatorship.
That time I was happy and relieved. But I was soon arrested.
The Shabeha* came to one of our demonstrations and beat me with
sticks.
I started bleeding from my head and was taken to a small cell with 14
other young men and the Shabeha started torture us with cables.
I was left, laying on the ground nearly naked all the night.
It was so cold.
Then they cut my hair and humiliated me and talked bad about my
family.
They left all of us without food for several days and we had to drink
water from the toilet to survive.
They took me to the confession room and tortured me because I
refused to sign a paper saying I was an armed terrorist.
I had to pay a very large sum of money to get released.
But I was lucky.
Most prisoners never leave Assad’s prisons alive.
Still, this week of arrest was the harshest experience in my life and I
wish that no one in this world had to go through this experience.
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