His arrest helped trigger the uprising against Syrian President Assad's rule.
But 10 years on, Bashir Abazayd, 25, wonders whether the revolt was worth it. (1/6) nbcnews.to/3tvzyAk
But 10 years on, Bashir Abazayd, 25, wonders whether the revolt was worth it. (1/6) nbcnews.to/3tvzyAk
Bashir was a teenager when, he says, he was arrested and accused of scrawling anti-government graffiti on the walls of his school in the Syrian city of Daraa.
Authorities' treatment of him is widely considered to be the fuse that sparked the uprising against Assad. (2/6)
Authorities' treatment of him is widely considered to be the fuse that sparked the uprising against Assad. (2/6)
Bashir has given conflicting accounts about his involvement with the graffiti. He now says that he and his friends had nothing to do with it, but that he was arrested anyway.
No court or prison records publicly confirm if Bashir was arrested over the graffiti. (3/6)
No court or prison records publicly confirm if Bashir was arrested over the graffiti. (3/6)
After the boys were detained, people flooded the streets.
Security forces opened fire on protesters, reportedly killing 2 of them, in what was regarded as the first deaths of the uprising.
A violent crackdown followed, and soon Assad was at war with his own people. (4/6)
Security forces opened fire on protesters, reportedly killing 2 of them, in what was regarded as the first deaths of the uprising.
A violent crackdown followed, and soon Assad was at war with his own people. (4/6)
The war that followed the graffiti was bloodier and more brutal than most could have foreseen — killing hundreds of thousands of people, displacing half the prewar population of 22M and wiping out the Syrian economy. (5/6) nbcnews.com/news/world/10-…
10 years on, much of Syria lies in ruins.
While whole swaths of territory remain outside government control, President Assad maintains an undeniable grip on what is left of a country that was once a Middle Eastern powerhouse. (6/6) #NBCNewsThreads nbcnews.com/news/world/10-…
While whole swaths of territory remain outside government control, President Assad maintains an undeniable grip on what is left of a country that was once a Middle Eastern powerhouse. (6/6) #NBCNewsThreads nbcnews.com/news/world/10-…
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