What is it like living next to a dictator? Bashar al-Assad’s neighbours speak out for first time

The Independent

For some neighbours of the ousted president Bashar Assad, living next to the family only brought them harm.Neighbours have been opening up about difficulties having guests over under his regime. Source: AP

Transcript

00:00There were a lot of difficulties, as we said, there were houses that were not allowed to

00:14be raised.

00:15There were a lot of difficulties, the neighbors, the mistake here, tens of times more than

00:27the rest of the people, because we are from the area, you know how, so the word is

00:34calculated, the movement is calculated, and under the scene.

00:47I mean, we didn't benefit from it except all the harm, honestly.

00:50I mean, if a guest wanted to come to us, we would go to their branch, which is called

00:54the information branch.

00:55We go and tell them the name of the guest who wants to come to us, so the guest comes,

01:00my guest has to be searched, my guest has to stop for about 10 minutes at the border

01:05before he is searched and we know who he is, and even before he comes, they take his

01:09ID and search him.

01:10For example, if he has someone close to him who is wanted, he would not come in, he

01:14would come back.

01:15I mean, my guest would come back.

01:16I want to meet my guest, I would go and meet him outside.

01:19They wouldn't let him enter the area.

01:24They wouldn't let him in.

01:25They wouldn't let him in.

01:26They wouldn't let him in.

01:27They wouldn't let him in.

01:28They wouldn't let him in.

01:29They wouldn't let him in.

01:30They wouldn't let him in.

01:31They wouldn't let him in.

01:32They wouldn't let him in.

01:33They wouldn't let him in.

01:34They wouldn't let him in.

01:35They wouldn't let him in.

01:36They wouldn't let him in.

01:37They wouldn't let him in.

01:38They wouldn't let him in.

01:39They wouldn't let him in.

01:40They wouldn't let him in.

01:41They wouldn't let him in.

01:42They wouldn't let him in.

01:43They wouldn't let him in.

01:44They wouldn't let him in.

01:45They wouldn't let him in.

01:46They wouldn't let him in.

01:47They wouldn't let him in.

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