WRAP: Celebrations, grim discoveries and fear among minorities in post-Assad Syria

Record ID: 1886706

  • Title: WRAP: Celebrations, grim discoveries and fear among minorities in post-Assad Syria
  • Date: 13th December 2024
  • Summary: Thousands joined celebrations across Syria on Friday morning for the first Friday Prayers since the fall of the Assad government and the rebel capture of Damascus. In Latakia, crowds held aloft the green-white-black flag of the Syrian opposition. (6997-SYRIA-SECURITY/LATAKIA-FRIDAY PRAYERS) LATAKIA, SYRIA (DECEMBER 13, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CROWD WITH LARGE SYRIAN OPPOSITION FLAG VARIOUS OF CROWD WAVING FLAGS AND CHEERING In the capital Damascus, interim Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir joined worshippers at the Umayyad Mosque. (6955-SYRIA-SECURITY/DAMASCUS-FRIDAY PRAYERS-PM) DAMASCUS, SYRIA (DECEMBER 13, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SYRIA'S NEW CARETAKER PRIME MINISTER MOHAMMED AL-BASHIR UPON ARRIVAL AT UMAYYAD MOSQUE FOR FRIDAY PRAYERS VARIOUS OF MEN CHANTING AGAINST ASSAD (6949-SYRIA-SECURITY/DAMASCUS-FRIDAY PRAYERS-DRONE) DAMASCUS, SYRIA (DECEMBER 13, 2024) (REUTERS) (MUTE) VARIOUS DRONE AERIALS SHOWING WORSHIPPERS ARRIVING FOR FRIDAY PRAYERS AT UMAYYAD MOSQUE (6903-SYRIA-SECURITY/DAMASCUS-MORNING) DAMASCUS, SYRIA (DECEMBER 13, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE OUTSIDE MOSQUE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN RESIDENT OF DAMASCUS, TAREK HALIMEH, SAYING: "Hopefully this Friday is the Friday of the greatest joy. A Friday of victory for our Muslim brothers. This is a blessed Friday." VARIOUS OF SYRIAN FIGHTER HOLDING WEAPON IN STREET OPPOSITION FLAGS IN DAMASCUS CITY CENTRE SYRIAN ARMY VEHICLE ABANDONED ON STREET Despite assurances from the new rulers in Damascus that they will be safe, tens of thousands of Syrians, mostly Shi'ite Muslims, were fleeing to Lebanon, fearing persecution from the Sunni Muslim Islamists who toppled Bashar al-Assad. (6769-SYRIA-SECURITY/LEBANON-BORDER) MASNAA BORDER CROSSING, SYRIA (DECEMBER 12, 2024) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING, CARRYING BELONGINGS MAN DRAGGING SUITCASES SYRIAN FAMILY SITTING, WAITING TO CROSS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN MAN FROM ALEPPO, ALI KANAAN, 48, CRYING AND SAYING: “I don’t sleep all night. I fell mentally ill. Everyone’s (Syrians at the border) condition is just like mine. We’ve been here for four days, why? Why did people arrive now and were able to cross?" SYRIAN MAN FROM ALEPPO, ALI KANAAN, SITTING ON GROUND WITH FAMILY PEOPLE SITTING AT ROADSIDE CHILDREN ON TRUCK (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN MAN FROM ALEPPO, ABD AL-MANAF KANAANY, SAYING: “We received threats of slaughter. All the shite are slaughtered. All the shiite in Syria are slaughtered. These are all shiite. All these here are shiite.” PEOPLE WAITING IN ROADSIDE DITCH PERSON USING WHEELCHAIR WAITING IN ROADSIDE DITCH The days since Assad's downfall have also brought grim discoveries. Basim Faiz Mawat returned to the Damascus cell that his fellow prisoners used to call the "death dormitory." Rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa - better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani - the main commander of the rebels who toppled Assad, has said he will close the prisons and hunt down anyone involved in the torture or killing of detainees. (6620-SYRIA-SECURITY/PRISONERS) DAMASCUS, SYRIA (DECEMBER 11, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FORMER SYRIAN PRISONERS, 48-YEAR-OLD SYRIAN BASIM FAIZ MAWAT, AND 35-YEAR-OLD MOHAMMED HANANIA, ENTERING THE DETENTION CENTER THEY USED TO BE IN, INSIDE A SECURITY COMPOUND HAND POINTING AT WRITING ON THE WALL BY PRISONERS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN MAN FROM DAMASCUS AND FORMER PRISONER, BASIM FAIZ MAWAT, 48, SAYING: “Here I used to be blindfolded, my arms behind my back, stepping on this ladder, a step here, the second step, we would do this, okay? Then he would push the ladder like this [MAWAT PUSHES LADDER WITH FOOT], so I was suspended in the air with my hands behind my back and dangling like this. My shoulders were torn, and I couldn't say a single word. No one could bear more than 5 or 10 minutes." CELL STREWN WITH MATTRESSES AND CLOTHING CELL DOOR / BARRED WINDOW 35-YEAR-OLD SYRIAN AND FORMER PRISONER, MOHAMMED HANANIA, WALKING INSIDE THE DETENTION CENTER SHEETS ON THE GROUND / HANANIA LOOKING AT ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN AND FORMER PRISONER, MOHAMMED HANANIA, 35, SAYING: "Every day in this room, which used to be called 'Steel 1 - the death dormitory,' one to three people would die inside every day." WRITING ON THE WALLS PRISON SHEETS AND OTHER ITEMS ON THE GROUND PRISON CELLS PRISON TOILET An industrial-scale drug lab on the western edge of Damascus, the city that was the seat of power for the Assad family which long denied any links to the narcotics trade. Assad's government was accused by Washington and others of profiteering from the production and sale of the addictive amphetamine-like stimulant commonly known as captagon which became entrenched across the Middle East, from front lines of wars to construction sites and high-end parties. (6700-SYRIA-SECURITY/CAPTAGON) DAMASCUS, SYRIA (DECEMBER 12, 2024) (REUTERS) WHITE PILLS ON GROUND IN FACTORY WHICH FIGHTERS LOYAL TO SYRIA'S NEW RULING ADMINISTRATION SAY WAS USED TO PRODUCE, SMUGGLE CAPTAGON VARIOUS OF FIGHTER OPENING PACKAGES WHICH THEY SAY WERE USED TO HIDE AND SMUGGLE DRUGS MAN GESTURING TO SHOW HOW PACKAGES, CONTAINING WHAT HE SAID ARE CAPTAGON PILLS, USED TO BE STORED IN BOXES FIGHTER SHOWING PACKAGES, AND SAYING (Arabic): "This is how they wrap them, and send them to countries abroad." FIGHTER SHOWING PACKAGES, AND SAYING (Arabic): "These drugs, they are sending them to Saudi Arabia, to the entire Gulf, this is how they are loading trucks with them." VARIOUS OF FIGHTER OPENING BOXES CONTAINING WHAT HE SAID ARE CAPTAGON PILLS WHITE PILLS VARIOUS OF MAN OPENING APPLE CONTAINING PILLS Israeli troops and tanks were seen operating in the U.N. monitored buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights as troops were ordered to remain there through winter. (6964-SYRIA-SECURITY/ISRAEL) GOLAN HEIGHTS (DECEMBER 13, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ISRAELI TROOPS MOVING AT CEASEFIRE LINE FENCE NEAR U.N. MONITORED BUFFER ZONE WITH SYRIA, AS SEEN FROM ISRAELI-OCCUPIED GOLAN HEIGHTS
  • Embargoed: 27th December 2024 14:50
  • Keywords: Bashar Al-Assad Captagon celebration cell prayers prison prsioners torture
  • Location: DAMASCUS, LATAKIA AND MASNAA BORDER CROSSING, SYRIA; GOLAN HEIGHTS
  • City: DAMASCUS, LATAKIA AND MASNAA BORDER CROSSING, SYRIA; GOLAN HEIGHTS
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Middle East
  • Reuters ID: LVA001692613122024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT IS A WRAP AND CONTAINS NO NEW MATERIAL
    Please see shotlist for story details.
    (Production: Thomas Holdstock)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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