Assad portrays himself as the ‘guardian’ of Syria as situation worsens in Damascus

Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday looked to portray himself as a dedicated “custodian” of his nation who remained fighting “against the terrorist onslaught” before being forced to flee to Russia.

Assad, who over the last decade and a half became notorious for his brutal and oppressive tactics employed during the civil war, released a statement on Telegram suggesting he was nothing but dedicated to Syria and remains hopeful that “Syria will once again be free and independent.”

Following nearly 14 years of conflict, human rights abuses and harsh living conditions for most Syrians, Assad was ousted on Dec. 8 following a major offensive led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, which swept western Syria from the north to the south, taking over Damascus in a matter of weeks. 

People wave guns in the air as they gather to celebrate the fall of the Syrian regime in Umayyad Square on Dec. 8 in Damascus, Syria. (Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)

“With no viable means of leaving the base, Moscow requested that the base’s command arrange an immediate evacuation to Russia on the evening of Sunday 8th December,” Assad said. 

He claimed that as the rebel group swept the nation, he “stood alongside the officers and soldiers of the army on the front lines, just meters from terrorists in the most dangerous and intense battlefields.”

In addition, Assad looked to validate the actions of his oppressive regime and said he “refused to barter the salvation of his nation for personal gain, or to compromise his people in exchange for numerous offers and enticements.”

Sednaya, the infamous “human slaughterhouse” outside Damascus, was where thousands of regime opponents had been locked up, tortured and killed from the earliest days of the 2011 uprising to the long brutal years of civil war. (Sandro BasiliAbaca/Sipa via AP Images)

Despite the abhorrent conditions in Syria, and years of reporting on human rights abuses, torture, mass arbitrary detentions – including of children – and executions, Assad claimed his actions were done for the people of Syria. 

“I have never sought positions for personal gain but have always considered myself as a custodian of a national project, supported by the faith of the Syrian people, who believed in its vision,” he said. “I have carried an unwavering conviction in their will and ability to protect the state, defend its institutions, and uphold their choices to the very last moment.”