Politicians and Celebrities Who Quickly Changed Their Stance After Assad's Fall

Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, Syria witnessed a rapid shift in the positions of many political, artistic, and sports figures who had previously defended his government or at least remained silent. Armed Syrian rebels entered Damascus, the capital, on Sunday, December 9, marking the end of 53 years of Assad family rule. Many officials from Bashar al-Assad's government also changed their stance after his escape. Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, who reached out to the opposition in a video after the rebels arrived in Damascus, spoke with Al-Hurra about the details of the hours leading up to Bashar al-Assad's downfall. Al-Jalali stated, "Bashar al-Assad had no contact with the government before leaving Damascus on Sunday morning (December 9)." He also mentioned the "marginal" role of governments in Syria, adding, "We were merely employees in the government. There was a distance between us and the President." However, Ahmad al-Sayed, the Minister of Justice in Assad's government, expressed regret over what was happening in Syrian prisons, particularly in the Saydnaya prison near Damascus. Al-Sayed said, "The fate of those who have disappeared is still unclear. I have only been a minister for four years, and I know nothing about them." He blamed Assad for everything that befell Syria, stating, "May it be a sin what you have done to Syria, O Bashar al-Assad." Rabi' Qala'ji, the Minister of Economy and Trade, also said, "We had no direct contact with Assad," describing the fall of Assad's regime as "a victory for the Syrian people." Bashar al-Jaafari, Syria's ambassador to Russia and a former representative to the United Nations known for his staunch support of Bashar al-Assad, stated on Sunday, December 9, that "from now on, Syria belongs to all the children of the country." Al-Jaafari remarked that the collapse of the corrupt regime within a few days indicates a lack of popular support for this regime in Syrian society and even among the army and armed forces. In a strange change of position, he added, "The flight of the head of the regime in such an insulting manner, in the dark of night and away from a sense of responsibility, indicates the correctness of change and the survival of hope for a new dawn." Many Syrian artists who had supported Assad's regime in previous years celebrated the fall of the Syrian government on the same day as the capture of Damascus. The positions of some of these artists in support of Bashar al-Assad had been more evident than others. For instance, Sulaf Fawakhirji, a Syrian actress whose support for Assad had been controversial, immediately deleted her photo with Bashar al-Assad from her Instagram page after the fall of Damascus. She had captioned the photo: "Mr. President, thank you for the honor of meeting you. May God protect you for this country." Fawakhirji had previously described Assad as "a noble and reformist man" in a 2016 television program, rejecting accusations of the Syrian army bombing civilian areas. Ayman Zidan, a Syrian actor known in Iran for the series 'Director General,' who had previously taken a public stance in support of Bashar al-Assad, apologized to the Syrian people in a Facebook post. Zidan wrote, "I loudly say how misguided I was; perhaps being a prisoner of a culture of fear or concern about change that seemed like a path to bloodshed and chaos caused this misguidance. But today I feel that I have said goodbye to my fears and delusions." Susan Najmuddin, another Syrian actress who had repeatedly supported Assad's regime and would abandon television programs that criticized her positions, wrote on her Instagram page: "Syria belongs to all Syrians... Syria brings us together." Bashar Ismail, an artist known for his extreme support of the former Syrian regime, also wrote on social media: "The rapid fall of the cowardly regime shows the widespread hatred of the people towards him. But fear prevailed over all; prison and torture prevented people from expressing their true opinions." Rasha al-Sharbatji, a Syrian director who visited Bashar al-Assad last month with several other artists, wrote on Facebook: "Our country needs people who love it and help us overcome the fear that has taken root within us." Yazan al-Sayed, a Syrian cinema and television actor known for his defense of Assad's regime, said: "We are tired of lies and hypocrisy. Today Syria has won." Omar al-Soma, a striker for the Syrian national football team who had previously returned to his country and pledged allegiance to Assad's government, wrote on his Facebook page: "A thousand congratulations to Syria and a thousand congratulations to the Syrian people. Congratulations to these resilient people. May God's mercy be upon our martyrs."