‘Syrians have replaced one dictatorship with another’

The fall of Bashar al-Assad after a 13-year civil war was hailed as a new era for the nation. But just two months on, religious minorities fear for their future, reports Harry Stourton

- Harry Stourton

The rapid dissolution of the Assad regime was initially met with euphoria on the streets of Damascus - disbelief, even, that the administration that so violently put down the protests of its own people had finally been removed.

But less than two months on, there is a growing sense of anxiety, increased lawlessness, and a rising suspicion about the true ideology of the new government, led by former rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, the head of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group who was last week named as the country’s transitional president.

The developments have left many – particularly in Syria’s significant minority communities – deeply afraid.

“It’s not just the political prisoners they let out; it’s all the prisoners. Criminals, thieves, murderers, rapists – they’re all on the streets now. The jails are empty,” says Krikor Altounian, manager of the boutique Oriental Hotel, which is nestled down an alleyway in the Christian quarter of the city’s old town.

“The regime’s collapse has left a vacuum of power. There is no police force to speak of. The traffic is terrible, crime is rising, and law and order hang in the balance.”

Altounian, an Armenian Christian, expresses a concern shared by many of Syria’s religious minorities about the ideology of the new rulers in Damascus. “The city has always been moderate. Alcohol is tolerated in all communities, and Muslim women don’t wear hijabs,” he explains. “These men come from the AlNusra Front, which has strong ties to al-Qaeda and Isis. We fear they will rule in an extremist manner.”