Syria is standing at a historic crossroads — one year after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s nearly 14-year rule. The nation is still bruised, still rebuilding, and still trying to make sense of the scars left behind. President Ahmed al-Sharaa has stepped forward with a bold pledge to rebuild “a strong Syria with a structure befitting its present and its past,” but the road ahead is paved with unresolved wounds and unanswered cries for justice.
In the heart of this struggle sits the story of Ziad Mahmoud al-Amayiri — a man who placed photographs of his 10 missing family members gently on the table, each picture carrying a lifetime of memories and an ache no words can capture. His pain is raw, and his voice shakes with a truth many Syrians share: “There are two options: either the government gives me justice or I take justice myself.”
His anger is aimed squarely at one man — Fadi Saqr.
Saqr once held power as a commander within the National Defence Forces (NDF), a militia fiercely loyal to Assad and long accused of brutal crimes. Among the darkest allegations linked to the NDF is the 2013 Tadamon massacre — a horror etched into Syria’s memory. Activists, leaked videos, and local officials all point to NDF fighters leading dozens of civilians to a pit before executing them ruthlessly. It was one of the many moments that defined the brutality of the old regime.
But Saqr has denied everything. He claims he never led the NDF at the time and distances himself entirely from Tadamon. Al-Amayiri rejects that — insisting that Saqr should be behind bars, not living freely, after his family members were rounded up by NDF fighters in 2013 and never seen again.
Yet today, Saqr walks the streets untouched.
This tension captures the fragile reality of post-Assad Syria: a country desperate for stability but still haunted by its ghosts. For families like al-Amayiri’s, justice isn’t just a political promise — it’s the only path toward healing. As Syria tries to forge a new identity, the question remains: Can a nation rebuild without first confronting the truths buried beneath its soil?