‘New history’: Assad’s fall brings joy, hope to Syrians in Hong Kong
‘We’ve been living in an actual hell for over 13 years … and what happened now has given [people] hope,’ Abdulwahab Tahhan says
For Abdulwahab Tahhan, a Syrian student in Hong Kong, the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime may mean reuniting with his friends and loved ones for the first time in 12 years.
The 37-year-old PhD student in communications at Baptist University, who fled his country shortly after a popular uprising against now-deposed president Assad evolved into a brutal civil war, is among the millions who see the success of rebel fighters as a turning point.
Tahhan first sought asylum in the United Kingdom before coming to Hong Kong five years ago to work and study.
“I cannot contain my happiness,” he said after the fall of the dictatorship. “We’ve been living in an actual hell for over 13 years … and what happened now has given [people] hope. People on the ground are hopeful.”
Five decades of dynastic rule crumbled swiftly earlier this week after rebel fighters captured the Syrian capital, Damascus, following an 11-day offensive across the country.
