160,000 Persons are still Missing in Syria. People Need to Know the Truth | Mazen Gharibah

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Twenty-four years of Bashar al-Assad's rule and more than half a century of his family's power in Syria ended in eleven days. It became clear that the dictatorship might disappear in late November. Since then, active clashes between the rebels, including the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and the Syrian army have continued. On December 8, troops opposed to the government of President Bashar al-Assad occupied the Syrian capital Damascus and announced the fall of the dictator's regime. The president himself and his family fled the city. Later it became known that Russia had granted him political asylum. After that, a transitional government was appointed, headed by Mohammed al-Bashir, who is associated with the leader of HTS, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.

During these days, Mazen Gharibah, a researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Science, was in constant contact with his parents, who live in Homs. Mazen had to flee his hometown in late 2011 due to the threat of persecution. A group of activists he worked with were exposed and some of them were detained. At first, Gharibah moved to Lebanon, then his journey continued in Turkey, Europe, and now he lives in the UK. Now he has the opportunity to see his family and Homs, where he has not been for thirteen years. Syrians realize that the future of the country will not be rosy. But Gharibah hopes that they will not allow a new Basharal-Assad to come to power. Changes in the country will take a long time. The fall of the Assad regime is the first step towards democratization, but not the last one.

Journalist Angelina Kariakina talks to Mazen Gharibah about what is happening in his native Homs and what he will do when he returns there, whether HTS is ready to share power, about the missing people and the demand for justice by thousands of Syrian families.