less than 2 weeks after launching an offensive rebel fight is now in charge of the capital, damascus. and the former leader has fled to moscow. the situation is still very much in flux from the countries the future direction. uncertain. the lead revel drew based on the un, tara less, but the syrians have welcomed them as liberates as freedom. the country for 5 decades of brutal repression. i feel go and live, and this is the day the for how much the describable joy of 14 years of being away from our family in our country. coming back with our heads held high. the. we're very happy as to the for the shuttle aside. make good bridges open forever until the freight to say it.

the also on the day syrian rebels free prisoners from the sudden i, a jail seen by many is a mess of full. so by shot a sides police states. we were living in a big prison. the big prison that was syria, that if its being 50 years, jordan, which we couldn't speak, nor express ourselves, nor express all worries. any one who spoke out was detained in prisons, as you saw in certain i, with the measure of proof that now you are welcome to the day sir in rebel latest have started to assert that control much closely by the international community. i believe that having the so called joint and military operations come onto that, the light which led to lightning offense against the outside of a shame as that match with outgoing the outgoing prime minister in damascus. i put

in the habit algae alarming has dropped the number associated with these jihad is awesome. so it's now using his real name. i was shot on his tried to bolster his legitimacy by presenting of a moderate public image of sophie serious problem and to excite the prime minister was pro aside says it supports the people's will to build a new future. for battle, looked like is unclear, but many sit inside. it can only get better. some damascus streets are covered in bullet casings, not from fight seen. but for me, joy seeing over the full of the and sandra she, the date to the syrians, are looking forward to a new era. i have an idea, i came out today and thought and thought, there's no fear for me. it says nothing to be scared of. everything is okay in the country. second, so i'll just hope the economy gets back on track and everything will be okay. rebel forces are patrolling the capital,

the street. they are expecting many syrians leaving abroad to return home soon. the millions of people have been displaced during the civil war many and now returning for the 1st time in years like here, the lebanese border. the check points on the syrian side are abandoned, the while these people are returning home. lebanon says some also trying to leave syria, given the uncertainty about how the current situation will unfold. the leading rebel force behind a thoughtful, i got to talk to you on some or h t. s. is considered a tara organization by subaru. western countries, as the group is now trying to present itself in a more moderate light. some countries are reconsidering the stones towards it.

but your opinion, however, made clear the european union is not apparently engaging with h t s or its leaders for stop. however, let me finish with this as h t. s takes on great sir responsibilities we, we need to assess not just the words, but also the actions of the united nation says crime is committed during the civil war must be addressed. any political transition must ensure accountability for the type of traitors, of serious violations, and guarantee that those responsible i have to account for one day after the fall of the a. so i'll just see, it's how to say what direction the country will take the international communities now closely watching developments in syria. but among the uncertainty, the prevailing mood and syria is one of hope and joy. well,

professor steven high demand holds the catch him. chad, in mid least that is at smith college in the united states. he's also a non resident senior fellow in the brookings institution center for middle east policy, and he joins us from washington. welcome to d. w. professor, are you cautiously optimistic now that aside has gone i am cautiously optimistic. it's been quite striking how smoothly the very early days of this transition have gone in in syria, a h t s, and its partners and the operation that over through us that are making all the right noises about responsiveness to the concerns of minorities. they're moving to maintain public order in damascus and other major cities. they have offered assurances to the other we, minority to christians, that they are safe, secure, and that their lives will not be interfered with during this transition. so from

everything we've seen, the, the 1st few days of what's happened since the fall of us. i have have been actually quite remarkable in how smoothly things have gone. and we've had the prime minister talking about eating the transition to a government chosen by the people. so this will be the next tricky bit of this transition. do you think that that will actually happen as well? if we reach a point at which syrians are able to participate in choosing a new government through elections is likely to take some time before we get there . there are huge numbers of a huge number of issues that have to be dealt with well in advance of, of, of the possibility of holding elections. we need to imagine some form of interim governing authority and merging. there has to be a process of constitutional reform. they'll have to be some opportunity for syrians to become acquainted with what

a democratic system looks like and how it operates for parties to form and all of that. and we'll take some time. so it's entirely possible that the syrians will be able to participate in shaving or future government, but it's not something that i would look to as a very quick next step. it still does take a quick look at some of a potential repercussions of this move. regional and father failed and i'm can, we saw it when it's likely effect on iran, which helped to prop up the sides regime that well around has suffered a number of fairly significant blows in the past 10 days, 2 weeks and even longer it's position has been severely weakened by the, the effect of, of his bolus conflict with israel. his ball that has been, has suffered significant losses and no longer can, can play the kind of role that it had played for a long time is

a leading ally of iran and a principal deterrent against and is really attacked on the wrong. and now is the loss of syria. iranian regime has seen the loss of, of an allied that had been one of his principal partners and what, what is known as the resistance front. since the iranian revolution in 1979, it has lost the opportunity to move weapons to resupply his bola through syria. and it has really now found itself in a position in that, in which it's going to have to think very seriously about how it can reconstruct some kind of deterrent past year, given the losses in living on and the loss of the sun regime. and how about israel, how is benjamin netanyahu as of right wing coalition, likely to view assets removal by is limited insurgence. cautiously i think and, and we seeing that in the early statements of,

of nathan yahoo in response to the fall of us out in which he will come to change. but pointed out that israel would be watching closely what happened on the ground. israel's principal strategic concern in syria for some years has been that his paula and iran would strengthen their position along israel's northern border in southern syria. and given the events of the past week, it now seems as if that threat has significantly receded. there is still some concern about how an emerging searing authority will conduct itself with regard to israel. but it does seem to me that israel's assessment is likely to be that it is now in a, in a most in a stronger position. but then it was a couple of weeks ago, that's very clear. thank you so much for allowing that to force professor at steven high them from smith college and the brookings institution.

one of the 1st places liberated by the rebels in damascus is the sudden i present north of the capital. it's the most and the torres people institution bound by the south regime. and so tens of thousands of people have been killed. that since the outbreak of civil and 2011, you may find some of the images in on next report. distressing as well, it's about rushing to see their loved ones. thousands of people, storm serious, most famous prison, near damascus. the many of those contact with family members over the years without knowing their fate and clinging to help. i just found my brother. it's been 6, he is human rights groups estimate,

30000 people were killed in this prison alone. it was nicknamed the human slaughter house by amnesty international. under now was the president bush. charlotte sat tens of thousands of syrians disappeared into the country's network of prisons, of the slightest suspicion of defense could result in incarceration. for many, it would also mean torture and death when bama moody, in 2013 thousands of photos of victims were smuggled out of syria. they are known as the cesar photos approve of human rights abuses under a set as hopes for a new era as well. many say it would be hard to forget crimes the a set family committed against so many of their own people the thoughts they were from the machine. we only receive pain and torture from them

. freed prisoners are joining the crowds in the streets of damascus. but for many families, there is still an agonizing wait, have to find out whether their loved ones are still alive. let's take a closer look at the liberation of a sudden i a prison on. well, i'll booty is a syrian human rights lawyer and former political prisoner who has worked in exile to bring members of the assign regime to justice and from washington withdrawn by syria. i missed that abraham. i assume from the middle east institute. he was detained and tortured by susan secret police back in 2011. welcome. both i'm on what albany can, can we start with you and start with your reaction to the deliberation of a sudden i pressed, which i understand, you know, well, uh yeah, i know when, when i saw that the said not a present broke said ne,

a prison it's simply for the that the machine of a subdivision. he did a fight hordes, the syrians with the simple everybody afraid, i don't have any opposition to don't go to this person. this simple of michelle separation. what is collapse every about the food a subdivision. you find it's gone on for if i i know this is in my product. i was spend 10 years inside this prison i visits and so thought that both of these 10 years a and i well we had a lot of money from the victims who survived from this prison. unfortunately, a subdivision i felt a video ocean can then of 1000 tens of 1000 from if

any is this person we, we, we have 150000, just disappear, missing test on invitation place in syria. until now, after or this present open, there is 120000 fare, some student missing. that mean i said, but as you can see, it says now i'm a reputation place. it's like head really like how and abraham out if i so your reaction from washington, you know 1st thank you for having me. it's an honor to be co hosted with mister brittany. i was only detained for a few days, but they were on the were enough for me to see what was happening on the other side of this on

a see what he has used to see. so i want to congratulate mister. it has been named . he suffered the lot to sacrifice the lot for celia and many syrians. really appreciate the sacrifice for bringing syria to the lights. again, as i said, when you said syria was ruled through in the total yes, secret prisons and dungeons of tortures something on the scale of this task. the something on the scale of 1st audience presents to actually suppress and depress the population and to oppress them. and torture them into submission. the, the issue of the tv is what was at the core of the cedar, an uprising, and the symbolism of the rebels trying to reach the prisons 1st and before any other buildings, even before the presidential palace itself, really symbolizes how many syrians and we're talking about hundreds of thousands of people who were detained and tortured over the decades. and that means many syrians, almost every student,

finally lost someone or know someone who was forcibly disappear and people were never able to hear about them again. and if i understood the un undue i, albany correctly, such was this prisons refutation. but when they came for you, the one place in this whole of a country that you did not want to go to. uh, was this prison? yes, absolutely. sorry. i've looked at with the question was forms that are going to yes, absolutely. so i will skip the city an air force intelligence in a at the airport. another notorious one, save my is holy and fully another level and even instead an eye out there are levels. syrians knew these things, the syrians have nicknames for these things, and people shake when they hear about them. they know that if you are going inside of them, you are lost. if you leave them, you are born again. and when people are,

they leave those presidents because they are designed to lose society by fear. so when they leave their whispers of people talking about those stories, that's how i wanted to keep ceiling in silence. and that's why syrians didn't want to remain under his oppression and took to the streets and said, no matter what happens, no matter what you were getting his face. next, we are not going back to those dungeons right. so on while i'm we all know now that terrible things happened under the i side regime beatings, torches disappeared and says, house showed the new syria address those injustices or is the big mission in, in fact. and then you'll see the big thing structured for the funds they should on justice. there is no peace in syria would be stay, but this out just these 4 or the victims. you know, i said 3,

she goes into the crimes, not after the 2011. he started to commit that the crime from its beginning from how much that god. i am from how much i'd be there in have on the 2nd 1981 and i think it's a 2 and he come with a lot of crimes after that. so he's just struck, shot a building of crimes. and those people will not live are allowed to then to have immunity or escape from justice. justice would come to syria. it's coming for both of them in europe. you know, copeland's, we work on it as up in france and i was, there is other sort of, i guess the shuttle i said, and also in jeremy's, there is many other students and this type, even thinking of he said, from disability and a lot of work to been structured for funds is showing just these concepts, applying justice in syria,

in front of the victims of catching the cleaning of and put them in jail to be some piece of the victims. right. i want to put this question to both of you, but i'll start with you abraham, i'll i. so how do you insure and then you a syria, that just this is just this a not vengeance. thank you for this question. i think this is just the beginning of another challenge we're in talking to face when people took to the streets in syria. they wanted to build it. just add to realistic syria, as i've got in the way people wanted to topple side. now this is another charts and another chapter for the c and people, but we will realize this is full with the challenges, but we believe we all believe as a nation, that we have the needed expertise. we have the needed professionals, we have the need to motivate people to work on the ceiling. and people always found

their way through the cracks of oppression, to organize, to talk to each other, to document the violations and to communicate with the rest of the world. now we want to see all these organizations working together and with some help with the international community. but we want this process to be sitting on the left. we want justice, we want transitional justice because that's very important for people to have their own closure. many people never saw the bodies of their beloved one. and the want now was the search for the mass graves will start. other issues will make things very emotional for serious, but we need to see a police that pass for justice. so people know how to manage all dots, emotions, they need to face over the next few days, weeks and months. so they know they don't have to take things into their on have, there is a path for justice and the just going to take time. but we are on the right track, so, so on. well, this notion of sitting, let justice on. i know that, that,

but in your work you have pursued some of these people through in your opinion courts. do you see that work continuing in new york in costs or do you see coming home to syria? it's really be, continue it here. and it's a big goal or a wait and see if you have because when that could, i mean that's based in europe, they would be accounting here. but the green eyes and syria, they would be account 0. yeah. so many now a good. i mean that's, you'll see that there's 3 of the security empty orders in but on the way with the high beings now in syria. rush up, i said, i don't know where to what i saw, but as i've come up, have been through it on thrush, are they hide being now on the order of same think i'm dreaming to come to you. and that's what were you waiting for. i was in the here, i'm going, i've here they would cousin because we have a lot of evidence about a 4th as,

as of a victims of them. and we con, building cases against them. here i've come to them. say here, can i so up a slightly now you have question i asked you about, is there a place for forgiveness we have in this and i'm looking at the examples of south africa and northern ireland where they was sort of to the truth and reconciliation as does that have any pods to play? it's different and stretch it and syria is different about the one that about as ups in, in, in as soon as out of the country they want a crime committed for the crimes is see the. 3 crimes that goes to who minutes when you thought you have some but the full range always look for have information left of defense about your country just to have fun when you broke into human being,

just because he goes, do you the name from him just broken lip make him last piece, the human that see how you can leave with some but the seems like that. no, but because it was in not about forgives him. many serious comments at the crimes as because they had to the defense about them said they should to do that. it's ok sometimes for given, for the source or not. but who comments? it's good. i was thinking to hands that people in the city and people just to enjoy or to take power. okay. that you cannot forgive him. is that your your feeling as well? it for him? i feel better is that no pause, no place for forgiveness. and they said they, these people must be assumed you know, mainly this question i think should be addressed to the people who have rights like

like most are going. the other thing is on to prisoners and to build on what he just said eloquently. both even him out a sail from the middle east, the institute in washington. thank you. human royce, a rights lawyer and well, i'll bony here with me. thank you. thank you both. we wish you and that's is by, or you can follow the team of social media at cdw and use lasers headlines. of course dw dot com over at the w have a good the

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