After a first part of his power devoted to restoring the image of his country, the man who was then perceived as a young leader of the future by the West sank into repression with the Arab Spring.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who according to an NGO fled on Sunday, for nearly a quarter of a century ruled Syria with an iron fist, bloodily suppressing a rebellion that turned into war civil war, one of the most brutal of the 21st century.
This trained ophthalmologist, who was not predestined for the highest positions, reached the top of the state at the age of 34, in 2000, on the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, whom he succeeded.
Supported by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah
In 2011, he was confronted with the Arab Spring in his own country, a series of pro-democracy demonstrations quickly repressed bloodily and which degenerated into civil war, notably involving various jihadist forces, including the Islamic State organization.
He managed to stay in power with the massive support of Russia, Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah. Coming from an Alawite lineage, he presents himself as the protector of Syrian minorities and the only shield against extremism and chaos.
A “unique and complex personality”
Taking care of his appearance, the leader prefers well-cut suits and a sober tie to military clothing. But beneath a calm and almost shy appearance, he demonstrates a desire to retain power at all costs.
A journalist who met Bashar al-Assad multiple times before and after the start of Syria's rebellion in 2011 describes a “unique and complex personality”.
His father Hafez al-Assad had imposed an opaque and paranoid regime
“Every time I met him, he was calm, even in the most critical moments and difficulties of the war”affirms this journalist on condition of anonymity.“These are exactly the characteristics of his father”he adds, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria with an iron fist for 30 years.
Bachar al-Assad “managed to make himself indispensable. In politics, it is important to know how to reshuffle the cards and he knew how to master the game”. At the head of the Ba'ath party, Hafez al-Assad had imposed an opaque and paranoid regime in Syria, where the slightest suspicion of dissent could land someone in prison.
Became president upon the death of his brother Bassel
Born on September 11, 1965, his son Bachar was not destined to become president, but his life changed radically when his older brother Bassel, who was to succeed his father, was killed in a road accident in 1994. He then had to abandon his studies in London, where he met his wife Asma, a Syrian-British Sunni woman with whom he had three children.
Nicknamed “The Desert Rose” by Vogue magazine before the uprising, his wife will be compared to Marie-Antoinette after the revolt. When his father died in 2000, Bachar became president by referendum, without opposition.
The image of a modern reformer
When he took the oath at the age of 34, for many Syrians seeking more freedoms, he embodied the image of a reformer, capable of putting an end to years of repression and establishing a more liberal economy. in this country with stifling state control.
At the start of his presidency, Assad appeared in public driving his car or dining at a restaurant alone with his wife. He relaxes some of the restrictions imposed by his father.
But the image of the reformer dissipated very quickly, with the arrest and imprisonment of intellectuals, teachers or other adherents to the reform movement, after a brief “Damascus Spring”.
A civil war that left more than 500,000 dead
When the Arab Spring spread to Syria in March 2011, peaceful demonstrations called for change. Mr. Assad, who is also the commander of the armies, then leads a brutal repression, quickly followed by a civil war.
During the war, which left more than 500,000 dead and displaced half the population, Assad always remained firm in his positions. Thanks to the support of his Iranian and Russian sponsors, he managed to reconquer both levels of territory.
Abandoned by his allies
On the internal level, thanks to its “perseverance and rigor”he managed to “monopolize decision-making powers and guarantee the full support of the army”explains a researcher in Damascus. Even at the height of the civil war, he remained unfazed, confident of his ability to crush a rebellion he declared to be “terrorist” and the product of“a conspiracy” hatched by enemy countries to overthrow him.
Abandoned by his Russian and Iranian allies, themselves very weakened, he had, however, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), to flee the country on Sunday, eleven days after the launch of an offensive on November 27 lightning strike by the rebels, to which his forces put up almost no resistance.
Among the strongest symbols of the fall of Damascus is the liberation of the sinister Sednaya prison, where thousands of opponents of the power of the al-Assad dynasty were imprisoned, tortured and murdered.
