Bashar al-Assad fell - then one woman learnt her husband's past
Syrians across the world are still coming to terms with the rapid fall of the Assad regime.
British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewsletters'Assad's fall opened part of my husband's past I knew nothing about'BBCAbdullah Al Nofal (left) and his wife Douna Haj AhmedIt was early December when Douna Haj Ahmed, a Syrian refugee, discovered the disturbing details of her husband's detention in the notorious Al-Khatib prison – known as "Hell on Earth".
She was watching bewildered prisoners fleeing the country's brutal security apparatus, on the news at home in London, after rebel forces had ousted Bashar al-Assad as president.
Through tears, Abdullah Al Nofal, her husband of eight years sat next to her, turned and said: "This is where I was arrested, this is the place."
Douna, whose brothers were also arrested during Syria's 13-year civil war, says she had an idea of what her husband experienced during his detention - but this was the first time he was sharing the full details of what he endured.
"Abdullah does not like to share things emotionally, he likes to look like a strong guy all the time," Douna, 33, tells the BBC.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy53qkd2z1eo
Rating: 5