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Courtesy Emad Maho / Courtesy Emad Maho
Emad Maho, a Syrian activist who says he was captured and tortured by President Bashar Assad's forces, fled across the border to Jordan in November.
RAMTHA, Jordan – One year ago, Syrian engineering student Emad Maho's future plans revolved around finishing his university degree and then starting a family.
The Arab Spring changed that. The 23-year-old says he was tortured by Syrian authorities for protesting against President Bashar Assad's regime.
Maho is among the thousands of Syrians who have fled their homeland. According to the United Nations, at least 8,000 people have died in Syria over the past year due to the government's violent repression of the uprising.
Mohammad Hannon / AP
Syrians wave revolutionary flags and Jordanian flags as they gather at an anti-Bashar Assad protest in Amman, Jordan, on Thursday.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says more than 5,000 Syrian refugees have registered with them in Jordan. But the Jordan government says the number is much higher and that as many as 80,000 Syrians have crossed into the country since the revolution started.
1,000 refugees flood out of Syria in 24 hours
Speaking from the northern Jordanian town of Ramtha, which borders Syria, Maho told of his arrest, torture and humiliation at the hands of Syrian authorities.
'I always hated the regime'
Maho had never thought about becoming an activist -- but says he had "always yearned for freedom."
“I always hated the regime and wished I could have the minimal freedom other people in the world enjoy,” he said. “When I received an invitation on Facebook to participate in a demonstration in front of the Libyan Embassy in Syria to support the Arab Spring, I was very excited and I remember thinking: ‘When will the Syrian people demand their own freedom?’”
From the front line to front page: Syria's image war
After more than 40 years of oppression, Syrians were not immune to the revolutions sweeping the region. Syria has been ruled with an iron fist by the Assad family since the current president's father, Hafiz Assad, seized power in 1970. Last March, Syrians decided it was their turn to demand their freedom.
“From the start of the revolution till the 9th of July 2011, I participated in more than 150 demonstrations all over Syria,” Maho said. “I made flags, wrote banners and reached a point where I was organizing the demonstrations, capturing footage on my mobile [phone] and sending the videos to Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya TV channels,” he said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and President Obama say that there should be a political solution to the violent upheaval in Syria.
The Assad regime does not sanction protests – so those who have taken part in demonstrations have reportedly suffered the worst forms of torture, including electric shocks. Activists have also had their homes stormed and family members taken hostage. Many of their relatives have been tortured, killed or simply disappeared.
“I became wanted by the Syrian security forces," Maho recalled. "So I left my home and went into hiding for a few months. But my mistake was that I missed my mother terribly.
"I went home to see her; she prepared breakfast for me and then we argued because I was tense. I knew I was going to be arrested that day. I took a quick shower then walked 200 meters to my father’s shop to say hello and get some money.
Country music, Harry Potter: Leaked emails reveal Assad's tastes
“My mother came running into the store to tell me she spotted six 'shabeeha' – armed men in civilian clothing who assault protesters – walking towards the store.”
Maho said he immediately realized he would be arrested, but that his main fear was for his father.
'My mother was crying'
“I tried to attack them so that they will only arrest me and forget about my father. I threw my phone away because it had all the videos I shot in recent demonstrations. I managed to hit two of them, but I was outnumbered and was arrested. My father was arrested, too. My mother was crying behind,” Maho said.
Another deadly day in Syria as up to 50 civilians, including women and children, have been killed in what activists claim was a massacre in the city of Homs. ITN's John Ray reports.
Maho said he spent 20 days imprisoned at the General Headquarters of the Military Intelligence in Damascus’ Kafer Soussa neighborhood. He said he was physically tormented for at least six days – beaten, tortured with electric cables and deprived of sleep. He said he still has nightmares.
“I was forced to stand naked on a wall with my hands tied to the ceiling for seven hours. Every 30 minutes they would spill cold water on me and electrocute me. On the third day of my arrest, they realized I wasn’t saying anything, so they blindfolded me, put a stick in my mouth and escorted me to a room. I heard a man screaming. As soon as they took the blindfold off my eyes I saw the man was my father. He was yelling and I started crying. He was on the floor and three men were beating him. That was the worst moment,” he said.
Syria laying landmines on route used by fleeing civilians, group says
Finally, after days of torture Maho confessed what his captors wanted him to confess: That he was a spy for Al-Jazeera since he was filming the demonstrations and sending them to the TV network, as well as the fact that he was an activist and protest organizer. After his confession, he says they continued to torture him, but finally released him.
But even upon his release, Maho says he returned to the demonstrations. He said his father was arrested for a second time, along with some cousins, in order to pressure him to turn himself to the Syrian authorities.
Report: Emails indicate Assad got advice from Iran
“I knew that if I stayed in Syria, they would never leave my family in peace. And I believed I could be of more help to my people alive, rather than dead. I went to Daraa [near the Jordanian border] and was smuggled into Ramtha, Jordan.”
For now, Maho says he does not want to return home. He wants to help Syrian families in Jordan.
But he said he would like to see Assad leave the country. “We will not judge him, history will.”
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Leave a Comment:
I think this story os BS. American Propaganda,
.
I think you need to wake up and have a cup of coffee before posting. And no, you're not ok!
This guy isn't very bright. I can understand protesting and wanting to make a difference, but once you've gotten you family involved and your father beaten and tortured, it's time to start thinking about somebody other than yourself.
The best thing he can do now is stay where he is and not bring more bad onto his family.
We can only speculate as to whether this story is true or fabricated. The fact is, we don't know. None of the people posting here know. I read posts of those that claim they were in this country or that country. Seen this or seen that. Been there, done that, etc. I find that the real ignorant and stupid people or the ones that resort to name calling like five and six year old children.
Give it time- the US will be rolling in tanks and the next war is on.
Well I believe it! I worked with a guy from Syria a few years ago. He told me his family moved to Kuwait for a year because his father got a job there. When they returned to Syria his father was beaten and arrested at the border, right in front of the family, and imprisoned for a year. Why? Apparently because the father got a job in Kuwait, who knew that was a crime? My co-worker left Syria and is a permanent resident in the USA. He will NEVER return as long as Assad is in charge.
Just a thought. "Disappearing" people and torturing people are classic strategies of the Shock Doctors. The practice came out of a study around fifty years ago that served as the basis for an American (military? government?) booklet on how to deal with 'the opposition.'
The specifics are in the beginning chapters of The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. Maybe the Syrian authorities are using that manual, maybe they are following the directions of people trained in that method, or maybe Assad's regime is actually being supported by the corporatists for reasons of their own...
It has happened before.
I think this is propaganda as well. Even though 99.9 % of us don't want another war, the elites o.
Here is my opinion. Israel is salivating to bomb Iran. When they do Hezbollah will retaliate against Israel. Since the only life that is worth anything is a Jewish life, Syria must be destabilized in order to disrupt Hezbollah.
When Iran itself retaliates against US bases in the Gulf the Elites won't care, it will be good for their plan because that will rile up the US public to further bomb Iran.
The only lives that matter are Jewish lives. So they will say anything to be able to strike Syria.
Just like they did in Iraq.
PS. The US government kidnaps American citizens and tortures them, in America, because of their political activism. I know this for a fact.
Based on what evidence?
Not likely. Obama thinks before making major decisions.
The presidency is controlled by corporate, military industrial complex, and banking interests. If they want war, there will be one. So, based on the propaganda coming out about Iran and Syria...
While its possible the story is true.There some things that don't make sense.Right from the start he says he hated the government and wanted to be an activist.He says he was making banners,filming demonstrations,sending videos to media groups,leading and organizing protests.Then he gets himself and his father arrested.They torture him,and to save his father from more torture he confesses all.Then after a while,they just release him.
That's where I have a problem in believing his story. They go to the trouble of catching this activist that is giving them problems.He fights the police at arrest.Here,at the least,he would be charged with resisting arrest and assault on a police officer.He would be serving real time for those here. They torture,get him to confess,but no trial and sentence,just release.All these stories we hear seem to go like that,they get released or they somehow escape.
Now in many countries around the world they use torture,including many of our friends.Infact under G. W. Bush we even sent prisoners over to Syrian prisons to be tortured under the "Rendition" program scandal.So I think we know what goes on there.I have to ask myself,throughout the MENA region,would Gaddafi have released him.Would the Egyptians under Mubarak have released him.Would the Saudi's release him. I think he would be tried and sentenced to years in prison,in any other MENA state.And so I don't see how we can believe the Syrians,who we are trying to demonize,would all of a sudden do less to him than the others.
You people are unbelievable! You don't believe this guy because you don't want to - you have no other reason! What, if he'd been shot would you believe him? Oh, he wouldn't be able to talk if he'd been killed. So you think this is all propaganda? Syria is So Nice, NOBODY'S really getting hurt/killed there, it's all just a bunch of U.S. BS to get us into another war - never mind those OTHER Arab countries threatening Syria with sanctions, calling on Assad to step down. Guess that's all just made-up propaganda, too!
Uncle Bob, seriously? You think his story is false because he wasn't put on trial? Syria is NOT the USA, there's no guarantee ANYONE gets a trial. Of all the reasons to doubt his story, that one is the lamest.
I am sorry. It is Hillary Clinton propagandaq!!!
One thing is for sure... you are sorry.
Assad's days are numbered. Russian support won't save him. The wanton deliberate murder of so many is too big a crime.
Read much history Spike? "The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of a million is a statistic." --- Joseph Stalin
After a long career that included literally millions of murders under his leadership, Stalin died in his sleep at the age of 73.
Denver,
Would you like to explain to us how Qaddafi is doing?
Qaddafi is dead. Why do you ask?
Allow me to answer my own question: Spike's comment implies that all leaders who murder their countrymen cannot survive. My comment proves that one did. Your comment proves that one didn't. So where do we go from here?
Stalin did his killing in a time where information was much harder to come by. With today's media and our social network these types of leaders will have a much harder time getting away with it.
Just because you can draw attention to it doesn't mean you can fix it. Just ask the people in Darfur.
There is a difference between leaders of a country, and tribal warlords that roam.
Agreed. But it is only a matter of degree. The actions are the same.
This doesn't seem sincere. It feels fabricated and shallow.
" he was a spy for Al-Jazeera ", wouldn't that make him a reporter/journalist? It is clear, journalist in Syria have been killed in the past. If all is true of Assad and his murdering regime, I doubt they would have let a "spy/journalist " go free, or his father for that matter. You would think with all the murder and atrocities the government is accused of, NBC news could have found a more compelling witness to interview. Make no mistake, I think Assad and his regime are ruthless tyrants but, I don't find this story very convincing.
stonedog34 and schoolyard, first I am awake and I had my coffee.
I seen more of countries then you could name. From reading your comments that saying much.
I am OK, but you two are not. your comments show how ignorant you two really are. Have you ever seen a protest in another country? I think not.
I have seen the Propaganda put forth by these individual, and you take all what they say as if came from the mouth of god. schoolyard how do you know how bright I am?? you don't. You also do not even know if this is true. What make you think Assad police are going to let this man go free. I will post any time I wish, I do not need a pencil neck geek telling me when and where I could post my view. In closing both of you(stonedog34 and schoolyard)should grow up, do some research and stop being idiots. If you wish to continue, come on!!!
They're judging your ignorance level by the grammar, misspelling and composition of your post and not the content.
As Stoned34 said, "this man isn't very bright," by saying what he said in this article he yet again brings on retribution to his family. His story is certainly worth hearing, but he should have withheld his identity, and his face should not have been published.
I think you are all idiots and these people are some of the strongest in the world. How would you like to live in a country where you are told what to do every minute of every day. What you can watch on tv, what you can listen to on the radio. You are not allowed to express your opinion. You are not allowed to protest the treatment of yourself and others. These people are opressed and it needs to stop. They should be allowed to live freely, just like you and me.
Winning and keeping freedom is not something that is allowed. It is something that is fought for and won. And after the win, it is fought to keep. Forget that at your peril.
he must be lying because he isnt american
Change must come from within
It's painful to read stories like this. But, if true change is going to happen, than they've got to do it. American bombs won't do anything in the long term. If anything, it will make the situation worse.
It pisses me off that McCain and other hawks say we must lead an intervention. They just love going into countries and invade cultures we really know nothing about. If anything, let Europe take the lead. We're broke.
Sounds like a dip-s**t to me.
A few years ago I worked for an NGO in Afghanistan where I was one of two Westerners in the office and the rest were local Afghans. The Chief Accountant for the NGO, an Afghan guy, made a point of telling any Westerner he met about how he was jailed and tortured at the hands of the Taliban when they were in power. He would even lift his shirt and show his scars as evidence, and if you looked closely, you might see a light mark which looked like a cat scratched him. As it turns out, that guy was the most manipulative person in the office which is no small distinction in an environment full of Afghans, probably the second most corrupt people on earth behind Pakistanis. As it also turns out, that office had the biggest fraud in the history of this NGO and I'm sure that this poor soul who was "tortured" by the Taliban made a lot of money as a result (he was the Chief Accountant and somehow didn't catch glaring inconsistencies in accounting).
Im Ok Now, I'm with you on this. This guy's story sounds like BS. I'm not saying that torture isn't going on in Syria, but you really need to be careful who you trust in that part of the world. What I learned is that manipulation is systemic within their cultures.
dumbass....
Ah yes let the media control the story, they will let you know how to react by the amount of coverage the said story gets. I'm sure the USA supported Syria in the past with no mention of abuse in that country( just like others).
I don't trust the media, everything reads like tabloid news. What a shame that talented reporters and writers have wasted their talents and have been deemed an uncreditable source of information. CNN, MSNBC, Fox, all of them.
very sad and tragic that people are suffering in syria right now.
The weak in that region have been suffering for 2000 years we can not change a damn thing,as soon as we help them they turn on us.Our politicians know this as fact.They also know that war makes money for thier bosses.
I'm not saying the US should be involved in this - just saying some things need to be done about the daily onslaught that would involve the international community.
I do not believe this mans claims. Not a single mark or scar on his face,this after claiming he attacked 6 armed men before being taken into custody.Syria is not our problem,if the people decide to start a revolution they need to expect retaliation from those in charge.The middle east is a brutal area and has been for thousands of years nothing we say or do will change that.Get the hell out of there and stay out.I have 2 sons in the military one currently in afghanistan I'd prefer they were both back here where they belong.
There is something we could all do. Stop using oil. None of them would have a pot to piss in including their leadership. That will teach them to start over.
cooch, he didn't say it happened last week. Bruises heal, you know.
I've been electrocuted several times. It's not that big a deal.
Kind of makes you feel alive doesn't it?
=Threevok= WTF ??? You've been electocuted "several times" ??? Why and by who may I ask?
Not sure whether or not his story is true (the part about getting a confession, and then letting him go makes NO sense) they may have however only have wanted him -to get information on someone else -who he eventually gave up (insuring his family's future safety and his release.) In another part of the story they said that 80,000 Syrians are now refugees in Jordan- I hope they are children and elderly (out of harms way) and not cowards running from the conflict. These stories get printed to further an agenda...the right wing would like us to engage.Who wants to send their sons and daughters to improve the lives of those unwilling to fight for it themselves?
It's Obama putting "boots on the ground", not the right wing. With a son already deployed, I can tell you this rightwinger doesn't want us to get engaged. The truth of the matter is, if thousands upon thousands of americans starting rioting at the white house and other government buildings, destroying everything in it's path, the same thing would probably happen here. I can't imagine our government would stand for that kind of stuff too long either.
Well they shut down OWS, didn't they? It already HAS happened here.
I like seeing overweight Syrians. Kind of makes you think they aren't as bad off as they would like us to believe.
(It's a joke for you overly sensitive people)
People are Evil.
I'm sorry for all these people being beaten and killed. When you think about it, do you think it would be much different here if thousands upon thousands started rioting and attacking the white house and other government buildings?
It's funny, real funny how the media turns the tables on "democracy" fighters, but refuse to see the plank on the eyes of our embedded media. I'll see your "freedom fighter" from Syria and raise you up to Pvt Manning. The first one was trying to overthrow their government by force and world history has never, ever recorded a case where a government is supposed to "volunteer" to give up their regime just because some discontent people don't want that government. Maybe the reason this embedded media goes there is because the whole government has been taken over by idiots, masochists that will rather follow their obvious racism to hell and back than to surrender it.
Now, if the embedded media is so keen in reporting "heroic" stories amde up by bottom line "journalists", why they, almost never, talk about Pvt Manning that risked every thing in defense of our Constitution? Oops, I almost forgot, it is not the truth that matters any more, but appearances and the criminals now dictate what is good, what is evil and what "patriotism" is. Such propaganda has never seen the light, not even during the golden era of the nazi regime. Go figure! Now if true journalism was the goal of the reporter, how come the author didn't mention and how convenient I might add, that the Assad regime was our most prolific torturer and look ma, he now is been criticized for been the best in the business. Again, go figure!
Cannot understand why the Syrians do not waterboard - it is the Dick Cheney and US approved torture, oops, enhanced interrogation technique. Bottom line, since our media proved to be complicit in foisting the 'legitimacy' of waterboarding, enhanced stress positions ( person tied in a ball for days on end ), rendition, beatings ( to death on occasion ) and so on and so forth on the public by hosting discussions where these activities were discussed as if there was even a question as to whether or not they were torture, one is now surprised in regards their certainty that this is torture. My opinion, it is all revolting and a reflection on the moral poverty ( including media ) of those involved - but you cannot object to others doing what you do yourself.
Years from now when the Assad regime is deposed and Syria gets back to being a country again, it will be discovered that Assad had actually patterned his response to his heavy-handed reaction to the protesters after Pol Pot of Cambodia, and that the "killing fields" of Syria were named after Ayatollah Khameini and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who supplied him with arms and ammunition to complete his dream. Assad and his trophy wife will have fled to France and will probably walk free.
Here, we read nothing but stories about homosexuals and minorities problems in America where they constitute less than 30% of the population and stories about the Syrian t e rr o rists that constitute less than 1% of the population.