One of the biggest shocks of my journalistic career was the one I experienced during the Syrian civil war. What I witnessed there left a deep mark on me for many years. It still resurfaces from time to time to shake me strongly. With the opposition taking control of Aleppo and the city coming out of the grip of the Assad regime these days, it seems that the shock has come back to haunt me again.
I spent several days in Aleppo, trapped between mosques that were destroyed by shelling, snipers’ bullets over our heads, and streets. It had been transformed into battlefields. After returning to Türkiye, I received an unexpected call. A Syrian army officer had managed to escape the country, carrying with him photos he had taken of thousands of people who had been tortured to death in the prisons of the Assad regime. The photos were shocking documentation of crimes against humanity.
The aim was to use these photos as evidence before the International Criminal Court, to prove the charges against Assad for committing genocide and crimes against humanity. The photos showed bodies of people who had been killed in brutal ways: starved, strangled with construction wires, or tortured. The bodies had numbers written on their foreheads and chests.
When we published the photos, they caused a huge international uproar, and we even organised an exhibition of them at the United Nations. However, despite international legal efforts, Assad was not brought to trial for crimes against humanity.
Syria is not just a land which witnessed the most horrific scenes of civil war, but it is also a scene of brutal massacres and a field of sectarian conflict which has left a deep impact on millions of people and dozens of countries.
In Syria, the conflict between Shiites and Sunnis has reached its peak. Its repercussions have extended to ignite sharp debates and divisions in most Islamic countries. Bashar al-Assad’s cruelty and brutality have exceeded the usual limits, and his tyranny has become a model which cannot be compared to the tyranny of any other dictator.
I remember the moments when I witnessed the fall of Aleppo, when I saw hundreds of thousands forced to leave their homes and lands. In the Idlib countryside, I witnessed with my own eyes the suffering of those who were forcibly expelled from their homes, to live in tents made of cloth and plastic bags, drowning in mud, and deprived of the most basic necessities of life.
Despite this suffering, many of them still hope to return. The dream of returning to Aleppo and reclaiming their homes and lands still lives deep within them, waiting impatiently for the situation to improve and for them to have the opportunity to do so.
In an endless cycle of conflicts, where the “eternal war” between Islamic sects has become a painful reality, there is now hope for an end to this abhorrent conflict. The opposition, which has suffered displacement, torture and injustice, must not make the mistake of repeating these crimes against regime supporters, Shiites or Nusayris. This type of war does not bring real victory or supremacy to any party. There is no conflict more ignorant and absurd than sectarian war.
Today, the opposition and the countries supporting it have a golden opportunity to build a new life in Aleppo, without repeating the tragedies of the past. The initial signs, whether through statements or initial steps, carry positive signs.
[Kemal Ozturk in Aljazeera]
Compiled and Translated by Faizul Haque