Before she fled Syria for the UK in 2016, Raya Homsi was told her fiancé had been killed in the brutal Sednaya prison run by the Assad regime. All she had to go on was the word of one person who said he had witnessed it.
But after the fall of the regime, the human rights campaigner wonders if he may be alive, among the thousands of people freed from the facility near Damascus dubbed the "human slaughterhouse" by Amnesty International.
"I have nothing official so I'm still a bit hopeful that maybe that was not true, and maybe he will be among the people released from Sednaya prison," she said.
Homsi is one of nearly 30,000 displaced Syrians in the UK celebrating the fall of the dictator Bashar al-Assad, and what Keir Starmer described as his "barbaric regime", over the weekend, when the rebel Islamist alliance Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized power.
Fireworks shot up into the sky and crowds cheered in Trafalgar Square on Sunday afternoon as Syrians based in the UK celebrated a day many thought they would never see. Similar celebrations took place across the country, including in Manchester, where Homsi has built a life since she fled Syria.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 10, 2024 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 10, 2024 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Trump's first speech will focus on unity and light rather than carnage, aides say
Donald Trump is to begin his return to office with a speech that will strike a noticeably more upbeat tone than his address eight years ago, his aides said yesterday as Washington geared up for Monday's inauguration.
US-UK relations How the royal family will be used to woo Trump
David Lammy was visiting Washington last May when he realised Donald Trump was likely to win the presidential election.
Bob Dylan Singer joins TikTok as US ban looms
Bob Dylan is TikToking on heaven's door after signing up to the social media app - days before it could disappear from his native US.
It's the new normal' Brussels draws up its red lines as far right prepares to take power in Austria
When the Freedom party of Austria (FPÖ) entered government 25 years ago, shock waves reverberated around Europe.
Diagnosing obesity So how can we tell if our weight is a problem?
This week, doctors confirmed what many people have felt for a long time: the way we think about obesity is not helpful. BMI is unreliable, and this has to change.
'A lot can still go wrong' Wary reaction in Israel as some want the war to go on
News of a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas has been greeted with joy by Palestinians but with more caution in Israel, where demonstrators both in favour and against the agreement have taken to the streets.
Sands of time UK's oldest municipal hut faces its final summer
Admittedly, it does look a little shabby. A wooden slat next to the front door and a window pane are missing and a lick of paint would definitely not go amiss. But in Bournemouth there is disquiet at the prospect of the structure - beach hut number 2359 - being razed when structural work on the nearby pier begins.
You don't own people' Greenlanders savour spotlight on their cause
In one corner, friends discuss the aftermath of last week's visit by Donald Trump Jr, while in another, coffee is being roasted, as the northern lights dance across the dark early evening sky.
Tuscany, on a budget? Italian region among cheapest holiday destinations
January is one of the best months to book a summer holiday, and this year there is a surprise budget option: Tuscany.
He's one of the best' The economist aiming to fix Britain's growth problem
The economist John Van Reenen lacks the public status of Gordon Brown's \"two Eds\" - Balls and Miliband - who ranged across Whitehall in New Labour's first term, enforcing the Treasury's will.
