One year ago today, Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule came to an end, ending 13 years of brutal civil war.
On December 8, 2024, Assad resigned as president of Syria and fled to Russia, marking one of the most significant political changes in the Middle East in decades.
Twelve months later, the dust has begun to settle, but the country is still grappling with the immense social, political and emotional cost it left behind.
While Syria’s interim government has vowed to protect all its citizens, not just the majority population of Sunni Muslims, hundreds of people from the country’s Alawite and Druze minorities have been killed in sectarian attacks, including by members of government forces.
BBC Middle East correspondent Hugo Bachega is in the Syrian capital Damascus talking to Syrians about how life has changed since the revolution.
