All language subtitles for Behind the Stories - Syria - Returning Home 1080p HEVC BigJ0554

CROWD: Allahu Akbar!

More than five decades of
authoritarian rule

by the Assad family
have come to an end in Syria.

This is the moment where, you know,
both rebels and civilians

are gathering in celebration.

These are Syrians who've
been in Lebanon,

and as soon as they heard the news
that things have changed,

they're rushing back
into the country.

I was expelled out of Syria.

We're going to see for our
own selves how the situation is.

The regime was not happy
with the way I was reporting.

They've controlled the media.

They've set the lines that people
should be reporting on.

Hundreds of people are on the way.

All Syrian plates at the crossing.

This is the first moment
that Syrians are experiencing,

you know, going back to the country
after 13 years of war,

of displacement, of detention.

We're just crossing
from the Lebanese border,

heading to Damascus.

This is the first time we're getting
into Syria without Assad in power.

I'm Lina Sinjab.

I'm a Syrian journalist.

I work as a Middle East
correspondent for the BBC,

based in Beirut.

But now I'm in Damascus,
back home, where it all started.

I continued reporting on Syria

and the uprising and
everything that happened

up until I was expelled out of Syria.

You know, and you look back
at the Arab Spring,

when the first protests
started in Egypt,

everyone was taken by surprise.

Troops are on the streets
of Egypt's capital tonight

as the government struggles
to quell widespread rioting.

And then, it is Tunisia...

..and then, it's Libya.

Regime toppling in one country
after the other.

There are celebrations
across Libya tonight

as the country has been
officially liberated.

There was a great sense
of hope in the Middle East

that was, like, completely destroyed
after with violence,

with more tyranny or Islamist
groups, you know, being in charge.

Those were exceptional
moments in 2011,

when protests took to the streets.

It was something that is unheard of,

that silence broke in Syria,

that people took to the streets
and broke the barriers of fear.

CROWD CHANTS

Crowds in Daraa were chanting
for freedom

and criticising Maher al-Assad, the
brother of President Bashar al-Assad

and the head of the
presidential guard.

But the government, you know,
the response was really very violent.

And in some cases, security forces

opening fire on demonstrators
and protesters killed.

Crushing the protesters,
chasing the activists

from area to area.

Once again, heavy gunfire
has been heard in the city.

Syrians are becoming more angry
with the death toll rising.

They would ask their mum to pray
for them to be dead in a bullet,

and not to be arrested so that
they don't face disappearance,

they don't face the torture.

And for me, as a reporter, I was

reporting what I've heard,
what I've seen.

I spoke to first-hand witnesses.

Hassan Raya was a father of four.

He now has three children left.

The regime was not happy
with the way I was reporting.

They've controlled the media.

They've set the lines that people
should be reporting on.

From Syria, Lina Sinjab
has the latest.

Shocking scenes
on the streets of Daraa.

They've set the locations
that they would take journalists to.

They'll tell them what do they see
and what they have to report.

But I managed to go
and report the reality,

and that's something
they didn't like.

At a press conference with
the President's adviser,

I asked about this attack.

The figures who wanted
to exaggerate what happened.

And I want to refer to one news item

that was on BBC, on CNN,
on many news...

When I heard the news about
toppling Assad,

these stories stay in
the back of your head

that, you know, what's going
to happen next?

Well, as we've been reporting,

Bashar al-Assad has
probably fled the country.

Caroline Hawley looks back
now on his rule.

Bashar al-Assad took power
in the year 2000,

inheriting Syria's police state
from his father, Hafez.

But the old family way of ruling
soon reasserted itself.

All of a sudden, after the father,

you started to see a different
Damascus, a different Syria.

A Syria that is rich,
that is open to the world,

but only for a limited
number of people,

those who are around Assad

and those who are benefiting
and supporting the regime.

We thought that when the young
Assad would come into power,

that things would change.

Soon after, everything went
into crackdown -

corruption, poverty, unemployment.

And the resources of the country

were concentrated into certain hands.

Damascus has always been,
like, a vibrant city.

For me, it's a city of
different colours,

of different flavours,
of different smells.

It's the city of the spice market,
of the jasmine,

of the River Barada,
of the Umayyad Mosque,

of the history that goes back
to thousands of years.

And, you know, socially, people
are very much warm to each other.

You feel like you're living
in a little village

rather than in a big city.

But you could be snatched by the
secret police if you say something

or if you do something that
they get suspicious about,

or if you belong to a group
that they don't like.

I was detained several times
in Syria.

You cannot operate without
every now and then,

somebody calling you and saying,
"Come for a cup of coffee."

And that cup of coffee
was known for everyone

that it will be investigation,
threatening.

So they used to do that
for many journalists,

just to tell them that,
"We're watching you."

I remember the first time
I was picked up in Douma,

in the suburb of Damascus,
the town that was bombed

and that lived chemical attack
in 2013.

I went to the first protest there

and there, the secret police were

raiding the protest
and attacking people.

And I was picked up, put in this,
you know, white car,

known for the security
and taken into al-Khatib branch.

And I remember because
the one who picked me up

was one of the investigators
who always investigated me.

There were men with big muscles

beating people, beating
the hell out of them.

So he stopped him and he said,
"I know her. Leave her."

They put me in the underground floor.

And there, I was listening
to lots of torture.

And I've seen fresh blood
on the floor,

old men tied up and beaten up.

MAN SHOUTS

That was the first time
I was detained,

and it followed many ones.

And the fear I lived on
was unbearable.

People want to find a
political solution, but only...

After that, the government put
a travel ban on me for a whole year,

so I wasn't able to leave
the country.

I had restriction in my movement.

I couldn't go around,
I couldn't visit cities,

I couldn't report on the ground.

And that's when, you know,
life has become impossible

and my profession has
become impossible.

And that's when I had to leave.

I first went to London
and joined my colleagues

in the BBC headquarters in London.

I was so detached.

I felt, what am I doing here

while my people are being,
you know, killed?

I started to experience PTSD.

I started to have nervous breakdown.

I started to have panic attacks.

I remember calling the ambulances
several times after midnight

thinking I have a heart attack.

I started counselling,

but I started to slip into more
and more depression

and I felt I needed to be back.

This is the lane of arrivals
from Lebanon into Syria...

When I first left, I thought,
I'll be out for two or three weeks

or two or three months.

And when I went to Beirut,
I thought,

"I'll stay in Beirut for a year."

I've been out of Syria
for 11 years now,

and only now I manage
to come back.

So, I was in Beirut covering the war
on Hezbollah and on Lebanon...

Well, our Middle East correspondent,
Lina Sinjab, is in Beirut.

..and all of a sudden
there was a ceasefire...

The ceasefire started into effect
almost four hours ago.

..and just that day, in the evening,

the news started to come
that the rebels have reached Aleppo.

In the next morning,
the rebels have captured Aleppo,

and it's really hard to believe

that the regime is not going
to respond fiercely.

In a matter of days, you know,
city after city started falling.

By midnight on Saturday,
Homs had fallen to the rebels

and I thought, "Oh, my God,
that's impossible!

"That's incredible."

And by 4am in the morning,
the news came that he's gone.

Our headlines for you today, the
Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad,

has fled the country and reportedly
sought asylum in Russia

after rebels...

He left.

I'm having goose bumps now,
like I did when I heard the news.

I thought, "Is that possible?"

So, we decided to go to the border
and prepare ourselves

to cross into Syria,
and we really didn't know

what we are going to expect
when we reach the border.

But that was, like, after midnight.

When the morning arrived,
already the regime had fallen

and we started to get the news
that the border is clear,

that they are, you know, the rebels
are now in control, that, you know,

all the government officers had,
you know, withdrawn

and left their position.

So, this is when I started to call up
my contact to check,

what's the border like, how we
can cross and how we can enter.

I've been reporting on this story
since the protest began.

I left Syria in 2013.

I had to leave myself for safety

after detention because
of the Assad regime.

It's really hard for me
to comprehend this moment.

It's a historical moment
that I never thought I would witness

or live, especially after years of
losing hope that things might change

and peace might come to Syria.

And now, I have really
mixed feelings.

But for the first time as a Syrian,

as a journalist,
there is no dictatorship.

There is no Assad dynasty.

The minute the border opens,
you know,

all of us rushed into the country.

And that was really a big surprise
for me, because for me,

this is the first time I crossed
the country

without fear of being arrested.

Hundreds of people are on the way.

All Syrian plates, the crossing.

This is the first moment
that Syrians are experiencing,

you know, going back to the country
after 13 years of war,

of displacement, of detention.

First time I go in,
there is no stamp, no officers.

I didn't need to...

I used to cross the border
and take anxiety pills

because I was so worried
about being arrested.

We're just crossing from
the Lebanese border,

heading to Damascus...

And that was the first time
that I was going fearless,

with lots of questions in mind -

who are the rebels,
how they're going to behave?

What's going to happen
on the way?

We are at the Syrian border,

and this is the first sign we see
of the Syrian border -

Syria... Welcome in Syria.

This is the first picture we see
of President Bashar al-Assad.

It's still there.

This area has been controlled
by the Fourth Brigade -

the brother of Bashar al-Assad,
Maher al-Assad, used to control it.

And lots of people,
people disappeared on this road.

Now nobody is here.

One army position after the other,

one security position
after the other, abandoned.

These are the checkpoints
that we used to pray

our names are not with them
when we cross the border,

that we won't be arrested
when we cross the border.

They were empty. Nothing.

We're told all the officers
at the Syrian borders

have been ordered to leave
and that the rebels are in control.

This is an unprecedented moment
for me and for many Syrians.

Crossing this border has always
come with lots of fear,

lots of preparation in advance.

I had to do security check.
I had to bribe my way in.

I had to pay to several people
to lift my name on the wanted list,

so I can come in and out safely.

I would, you know, sometimes fear
talking to the checkpoints.

And this is the first time
I'm going in without those worries,

without those concerns,
but also with mixed feelings

on what's going to happen next,
how it's going to look like.

And we arrived in Damascus
and the scene was unforgettable.

You know, lots of rebels on the way,
you know, firing in the air,

in celebratory fire.

But you reach the main square,
Umayyad Square,

that square, when the protest began
13 years ago,

everyone was dreaming of gathering
in that square,

like the Tahrir Square in Egypt,
to chant pro-freedom,

to chant pro-democracy.

But they were never allowed
to gather in the square.

They were always chased and killed
and detained and arrested.

And all of a sudden,
they were all out there,

mixed with the rebels, you know,
civilians with the rebels,

everyone, you know,
cheering for this moment.

A moment that they've waited
for for 13 years.

But actually, it's a moment that the
country waited for for 54 years.

It's the Assad dynasty that has
ended, from the father to the son.

We've just arrived in the centre
of Damascus.

You know, it's a mix of chaos,
celebration,

but also lots of gunfire.

The main square, Umayyad Square,
is filled with people,

packed full of people.
They are in the streets,

but the majority of the people
who are on the ground now

are the rebels controlling
the situation.

GUNFIRE

This is the main square.

Behind me is the state television.

This is the centre of Damascus
and people are celebrating.

There's lots of gunfire
in the air outgoing.

GUNFIRE

This square, the Umayyad Square,

the Syrians have always thought
about celebrating one day,

and now, they seem to have achieved
their dream.

As we drove through the city,
lots of abandoned army

and security positions,
official costumes thrown on the way.

You know, it seems the official
army and security

have abandoned and left.

There is mixed feeling here
inside the city about, you know,

celebration, but also wondering
what's going to happen next.

One army position after the other,

one security position
after the other, abandoned.

A tank on the right-hand side,
abandoned.

Lots of uniform were thrown
on the floor.

Obviously, you know, the army
or security officers

didn't want to be recognised as,
you know, military officers

when they ran away
and abandoned their post.

Many people cut off ties with me
because they said I'm a traitor.

BBC Arabic.
English? English.

I am causing destabilisation
of the country.

All these years after I left Syria,

they used to always put my name
on the arrest list,

and I would find a way
to bribe my way in

because I never wanted to cut ties
with my country.

I always wanted to come back,
to see people, to feel it,

to report on it from inside,
because it's different.

Well, the BBC is currently the only
British broadcaster reporting

inside Damascus, with our Middle
East correspondent, Lina Sinjab,

among the first to arrive in the
Syrian capital yesterday afternoon.

And every time they will
have different reasons

for why I am on the arrest list.

But the last time,
I was in Palestine Branch -

it's one of also the most notorious,
you know, detention centres.

So, we're going to pass by several
detention centres

that I've been arrested at,
and see if we can get to them

or visit the prison cell
where I was transferred to.

We go inside?
I don't want to go inside.

I spent two days.

Every day I would go from 10am
till 6pm being interrogated.

It's really so strange.
It's just...

It's one of the security branches,

but it's also
a big detention centre.

There are different areas where,
you know, people have been detained,

but most notorious
are the ones underground.

SHOUTING IN ARABIC, DOORS RATTLE

And then, after a whole week,

they managed to give me
an exit permit.

But I remember that he would say

that "I'm going to peel
off your skin.

"I'm going to bury you
seven floors down.

"Nobody will know that you've
entered this building.

"Do you think that you have,
you know, connections -

"if these connections
are going to help you?

"Nothing is going to help you."

And he blamed me for the killing,

blamed me for the destruction
of the country,

blamed me for the foreign forces
who are in the country,

simply because I was reporting
the truth.

This is how they deal with people.

It's all closed now.

So we can't get in.

And I'm not sure I want to live
this experience again and visit it.

GUNFIRE

So, since the start of the uprising,

there have been many powers
involved in Syria.

Those who are backing the regime,
whether it is Russia or Iran,

and those who are backing
the opposition - regional powers,

you know, Gulf states, the US,
France and, you know, Europe,

you name it. And there
has always been talks

about this is not an internal
war in Syria. It's a proxy war...

SHOUTING

..that has been, you know,
imposed on the Syrian people.

Of course, I never thought that we
will witness a change,

we will witness a fall
of the regime.

The news agency Reuters says other
rebels from HTS

have advanced from the north and are
inside the third city of Homs.

As I was following the story
on Homs, they were advancing,

you know, area after area,
and by midnight, Homs was free.

SINGING

And we got the news that Assad left.

It was so quick and so surprising
to understand and to process.

HTS, or Hayat Tahrir al-Sham,

are one of the biggest Islamist
rebel groups

that was in control of Idlib.

They were formerly connected
to Al-Qaeda,

but, you know, they've distanced
themselves from Al-Qaeda.

ALL CHANT IN ARABIC

And they say that, you know,

they are taking a completely
different agenda today.

They are the ones who led
this operation,

toppling the Assad regime,
along with other fighter groups.

Our Middle East correspondent,
Lina Sinjab,

is in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

And you can see, in the distance,
the rebels are stretched at the bank

trying to protect it.

We've seen them
in other locations, too...

But they are the biggest force now,
they are in charge.

They have appointed
an interim government.

From the first few days,
although many people have concerns

over an Islamist group
ruling the country,

but I have to say also,
after 54 years of Assad,

people are also saying that there
won't be any other tyranny again -

we will speak out.
We will not be silenced.

ULULATING, HORNS HONK

But what you can see at the moment,
whether from Syrians

or whether from the rebel groups
who are leading,

everyone is focused on what's going
to happen inside.

People want to go back
to their normal life.

They want justice, they want safety,
they want business,

they want to be able
to rebuild their homes,

they want services, and they don't
want to relive the tyranny

that Assad imposed on them
for 54 years.

So that's what matter for them.