The decades-long tyranny, repression and iron-fisted rule of the Assad dynasty in Syria has finally crumbled, marking the dawn of liberation for a nation that endured 53 years of darkness. On the morning of Sunday, December 8, Syrians awoke to the dawn of liberation, a moment they had long yearned for.
The ominous shadow of authoritarianism that cast darkness over Syria for 53 long years had now been lifted. The despotic and draconian regime of Bashar al-Assad, responsible for the massacre of half a million people, has met its logical fate and inevitable ignominious end. Those who perpetrated these abominable and colossal crimes against humanity will soon face the unforgiving judgment of history
Despite deploying lethal force, including Russian tanks, air power, and foreign proxies, the Assad regime could not suppress the indomitable will and spirit of the people.
Revolutionary forces tore down the symbols of tyranny, from Assad family’s statues erected with the people’s money to the gates of the notorious Sednaya prison infamous for torture and secret executions.
Thousands of political prisoners, imprisoned for their conscience, were freed, chanting “Allahu Akbar” as they breathed the fresh air of freedom.
The enraged and suppressed people stormed and strolled through the sprawling ‘Al-Rawda’ presidential palace, and luxurious ‘Muhajreen’ house of Bashar al-Assad, the emblems of regime’s unchecked opulence, exposing the extravagance built on the people’s suffering. Bashar al-Assad, realizing the futility of resistance, fled to Moscow, seeking asylum from his long-time saviour and patron
The Assad dynasty is now consigned to the dustbin of history, only to be remembered as ruthless oppressors who plundered Syria’s wealth for self aggrandisement and denied its people fundamental rights to freedom, democracy, and progress.
Both the autocrat father and son treated Syria as their personal fiefdom, trampling human rights, silencing dissent, filling prisons with opponents and suppressing free voices with unparalleled cruelty. Their downfall is a stark reminder that no ruler, no matter how powerful or oppressive, can perpetually suppress the will and aspirations of the people.
When tyrannies and injustices reach their utmost limits, people react and rise in rebellion with unparalleled courage and resilience to snatch and reclaim their Sovereignty. Tyrants and their dynasties, no matter how fortified, crumble like sand castles before the winds of popular revolutions. Syria is the latest testament to this undeniable and bitter truth.
History is replete with examples of the collapse of oppressive regimes. From the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution to the fall of fascism in Italy and the overthrow of the Shah of Iran, autocrats and tyrants have always succumbed to the might of the masses.
More recent events echo this truth: the downfall of Nicolae Ceausescu in Romania, Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines, Augusto Pinochet in Chile, and the revolutions that swept away Muammar Gaddafi in Libya and Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. Even apartheid in South Africa fell to the indomitable spirit of the people.
Needless to say, no king, dictator or authoritarian regime can indefinitely suppress the universal cries for justice, democracy and freedom.
Syria’s revolution stands alongside these historic moments of people’s power. The Arab Spring provided a similar testament to this truth, where the people of Tunisia rose against Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, forcing him to flee after decades of autocratic rule.
In Bolivia, a military coup was thwarted by the collective might of the people, and coup leaders were jailed. Turkey offers another proud example where people blocked tanks and resisted attempts to usurp power from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In Afghanistan, Najibullah’s regime fell to popular uprising, while in Pakistan, the people’s collective strength forced General Ayub Khan to bow before people’s will
The sovereign will of the people, rooted in divine justice, is unstoppable. Sovereignty belongs to Almighty Allah, entrusted to the people. Betraying this trust only accelerates downfall. The popular uprising in Syria is not an isolated event or confined only to Syria. It is a monumental moment with profound ramifications for the entire region and beyond. It is a clarion call for all rulers who cling to power through oppression and injustice.
They must embrace democracy and the will of the people through universal franchise. Failure to heed this call will force them to confront the unrelenting tide of people’s power and lead to inevitable reckoning by history, which spares no tyrant or dictator.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
The writer is a Shikarpur-based retired civil servant. The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the newspaper
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