‘I might not live to see a free Syria,’ activist tells Euronews on uprising’s 10th anniversary

Just ten years after Syrians first took to the streets to protest against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad, Euronews spoke to Syrian journalist and activist Wafa Ali Mustafa who was part of the uprising from the outset.

She explained how it felt to be part of the protests and what impact the Syrian revolution has had on her and on her family.

“After 10 years, I still recall the first time I went on a protest, I still recall the feeling of being among the crowd, chanting ‘freedom, freedom’ for four hours,” she told Euronews.

“This is the only demand people had at the beginning. And then, unfortunately, 10 years later, we’re still not free, not democratic,” Ali Mustafa said.

“I believe that the only choice I have is to continue to fight for a free Syria, maybe a free Syria, that I will not witness, I will not live. But I believe that at least someone will in the future.”

Ali Mustafa’s family has paid a high price for their participation in the protests. She was detained at the beginning of the uprising in 2011 while her father has been imprisoned since 2013.

“That was the last time we heard from him. And to this day, unfortunately, we don’t even know if he’s alive or not.”

Ali Mustafa has since fled the country and lives in Germany.

The Syrian uprising escalated into a full-blown conflict the UN says has been marked by ”the most heinous violations of international humanitarian law.” Over half a million people were killed and half of the country’s population displaced.

Watch the interview in the above player.

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