Joy and anxiety as Syrians in UAE fear for thousands missing after fall of Assad

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Syrian residents in the UAE are overjoyed after a lightning 11-day offensive by rebel forces ended the more than half-century rule of the Assad family. But families now based in the Emirates worry about the fate of the tens of thousands of people who went missing during the decades-long conflict in Syria.

Days after the fall of the Bashar Al Assad government, Syrian citizens want to support their country by helping to rebuild the cities they once called home.

Fayez Maarrawi, who moved with his family to Dubai in 2002, went home to Damascus on annual holidays but could not return following the 2011 crackdown on anti-government protests. Over the years, he convinced most relatives to leave Syria as the situation deteriorated. But he fears for those who went missing in the Assad regime’s notorious prison system.

“It’s been 54 years under this regime and its end is the happiness of a lifetime. This is what we have always been hoping for,” said Mr Maarrawi, 56, who works in the technology sector in Dubai. “But knowing there are thousands of people still suffering and we may be unable to reach them, this is stealing away our joy.

“We always knew about the cruel, brutal prisons but today we are devastated that they are trying to uncover underground prison cells and we are hoping people will be reached in time. It is a challenging time and we will spare no effort in rebuilding Syria.” The United Nations set up an independent body last year aiming to provide answers to families about more than 130,000 people missing during the 14-year conflict.

Media reports over the last few days show thousands of people being freed from cramped cells. The White Helmets, Syria’s civil defence force, posted on X that it was deploying emergency teams to Sednaya Prison to investigate reports of hidden underground cells.

Torture for prisoners and family

Mr Maarrawi’s family has its own traumatic story as his father-in-law was detained for nine years as a political prisoner from 1982. He breaks down as he tells how his wife suffered for years without knowing whether her father was alive.

When Mr Maarrawi’s father-in-law was finally released, he rarely spoke about the torture he underwent to shield his family. “My father-in-law was a victim of this regime, he was detained without trial and my wife did not know if her father was alive or not for years,” he said. “What happened was torture for the prisoners and for families outside the jail. Imagine, this was happening from the 1980s until a few days ago.”

Even after his father-in-law was released, he was not allowed to travel overseas for 10 years and had to report back for security investigations every month. “They did this repeatedly to keep people living in fear,” Mr Maarrawi said.

“He did not talk a lot about the solitary confinement, torture and beatings because he feared for his children, for us.” Mr Maarrawi managed to bring him to Dubai in 2014 where he died two years ago surrounded by family.

The takeover of key cities by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, which began as an Al Qaeda offshoot, has raised concern internationally as the organisation is designated as a terrorist group by the US and Europe. Like most Syrians, Mr Maarrawi is focused on the overthrow of a regime that crushed dissent.

“There is risk always when there is change,” he said. “People tell us, Syria will become like Iraq or Afghanistan. For me, there is no one that can be worse than the Assad regime and those truths are just being revealed. We look forward to anyone who proves they are aiming for the good of Syria, the good of the people.”

Trauma that will last generations

His son Yaman, 25, left Syria as a child, and feels a strong bond with the country he was born in. A student of politics and social policy, he wants to eventually return home and hopes other young people will too.

“No one in Syria wants to replace authoritarianism with authoritarianism, but today we just want to see detainees free and want to know the fate of the disappeared persons,” he said. “The state-building process will take time but it is our responsibility … also of doctors, engineers, lawyers … to go back and make sure we are on the right track.

“We are finally seeing family and friends post on social media how they actually feel about their country for the first time in their entire lives. Nothing can express the culture of fear that Assad implanted in the minds of Syrians everywhere. It has left a trauma that will stay with us for generations.”

As eager as the Maarrawi family is to return, they will wait until the millions who have taken refuge in other countries go back. “There are so many who have not seen their family for years, they should have the priority,” the older Mr Maarrawi said. “We are safe and happy here so we are not in a rush but we will definitely be there some time soon.”

Meanwhile, the Syrian consulate in Dubai announced a temporary suspension of urgent passport renewal applications. Operations will resume when the central passport system in Damascus is reconnected, the consulate said on its Facebook page. Similar announcements of a halt in services were made by embassies in Oman and Egypt.

Additional reporting by Salam Al Amir