Bashar Barhoum woke in his dungeon prison cell in Damascus at dawn Sunday, thinking it would be the last day of his life.
The 63-year-old writer was supposed to have been executed after being imprisoned for seven months.
But he soon realized the men at the door weren’t from former Syrian President Bashar Assad ’s notorious security forces, ready to take him to his death. Instead, they were rebels coming to set him free.
As the insurgents swept across Syria in just 10 days to bring an end to the Assad family’s 50-year rule, they broke into prisons and security facilities to free political prisoners and many of the tens of thousands of people who disappeared since the conflict began back in 2011.
Barhoum was one of those freed who were celebrating in Damascus.
“I haven’t seen the sun until today,” Barhoum told The Associated Press after walking in disbelief through the streets of Damascus. “Instead of being dead tomorrow, thank God, he gave me a new lease of life.”
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
