Damascus, SANA-Ghiyath Matar, who was known for his humanity and courage, became one of the Syrian revolution symbols, as he peacefully called for freedom and dignity through distributing roses and water bottles labeled with the phrase “We are brothers” in towns of Darayya city.
With pride and deep sorrow over loss of her three sons, mother of Ghiyath, Anas, and Hazem told SANA “at the first, Ghiyath participated in peaceful demonstrations against the former regime, as he and his friends agreed to distribute water and flowers among security forces as a symbol of peace and a kind of call for freedom.
The mother went on saying “Three days after forcible arrest, Ghiyath had been claimed his life for his noble ideals, yet, all warnings of the former regime did not stop his brothers from following his tracks”.
The following year, his brother, Hazem, was arrested on fabricated allegations of terrorism financing, and after months of torment, his family was acknowledged that he was in Sednaya Prison, sentenced to execution, to have his sentence reduced to life imprisonment.
With tear-filled eyes, Ghiyath’s mother recalled: “I didn’t know that my last visit to that dreadful prison in 2017 would be final. Instead of seeing my son, I was handed a document bearing Hazem’s body number and date of death.”
She continued: “The suffering did not stop there. Despite relocating my family to Sahnaya to protect what remained of us, the pain intensified when my son Anas was also arrested, and I have heard nothing of him since 2013.”
Ghiyath’s mother concluded: “Like thousands of Syrian mothers, I carry an open case—not in a ministry or a court, but in my memory. We live clinging to the last words, the last glance, the last dream we shared. We wake up each day hoping for news of our children. I urge the revelation of the fate of all missing and forcibly disappeared individuals because truth is not a mere gesture of sympathy—it is a crucial condition for achieving peace.”
Rafah al-Allouni/ Manar Salameh
