Toppled president came to power keen to show he was different to his father but proved to be as repressive
On the face of it at least, the Bashar al-Assad of 2002 presented a starkly different figure to the brutal autocrat he would become, presiding over a fragile state founded on torture, imprisonment and industrial murder.
He had been president then for just two years, succeeding his father, Hafez, whose own name was a byword for brutality.
Continue reading… The Guardian Read More Toppled president came to power keen to show he was different to his father but proved to be as repressiveMiddle East crisis – live updatesOn the face of it at least, the Bashar al-Assad of 2002 presented a starkly different figure to the brutal autocrat he would become, presiding over a fragile state founded on torture, imprisonment and industrial murder.He had been president then for just two years, succeeding his father, Hafez, whose own name was a byword for brutality. Continue reading…
