#bashar-al-assad

#bashar-al-assad

Fouad Naal spent 21 years in prison under the regime of Bashar al-Assad. He remained in the notorious Sednaya and Adra prisons until December 8, 2024, which was not only his liberation but also the liberation of Syria from al-Assad's rule, he told Al Jazeera a day before the anniversary. Tall and slim with a long salt and pepper beard, Naal, 52, speaks with enthusiasm and moves fluidly despite his years in confinement.

Syria's former President Bashar al-Assad, whose notoriously brutal rule over the country earned him the nickname " The Butcher," was deposed in 2024 after years of bloody civil war. Now, in a surreal cyberpunk twist, according to a report in German newsweekly Die Zeit, the former dictator is largely holed up in a luxury high-rise in Moscow, where he routinely spends hours playing online video games.

France's highest court is poised to rule on the possibility of lifting state immunity for Bashar al-Assad, potentially leading to prosecution for chemical weapons use.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for two recent attacks in southern Syria, marking a significant resurgence against the Syrian army since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.