Thousands mark 15th anniversary of Syrian revolution with rally in Daraa

ISTANBUL

Thousands of Syrians gathered Wednesday in Daraa to mark the 15th anniversary of the start of the Syrian revolution in a mass rally attended by officials and former opposition figures.

Participants included Daraa Governor Anwar al-Zoubi and the founder of the Free Syrian Army, Riad al-Asaad, alongside local dignitaries and residents who witnessed the first protests in 2011, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

The rally began at the Al-Hamza and Al-Abbas Mosque in Daraa al-Balad—the same site where the uprising against the Bashar al-Assad regime first erupted 15 years ago.

Participants retraced the original protest route toward the Al-Omari Mosque before moving to the valley separating Daraa al-Balad and the al-Mahatta district, where they symbolically reenacted the early confrontation with security forces.

At that location, forces of the Assad regime had opened live fire on demonstrators during the first protest on March 18, 2011.

To recall those events, participants set off fireworks, echoing the sound of gunfire used against protesters at the time.

Demonstrators raised Syrian flags and carried images of the uprising’s first victims, Mahmoud Jawabra and Hossam Ayyash, who were killed in the early hours of the revolution.

“Our joy is great to be in Daraa today, because the blood of our martyrs was not in vain. The revolution prevailed despite repression,” Riad al-Asaad told Anadolu.

Daraa “today adorns itself as the birthplace of the revolution, remembering its first martyrs and its great sacrifices, which are part of the broader sacrifices across Syria,” he added.

In October, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a decree designating March 18 as a national holiday to commemorate the uprising.

On Dec. 8, 2024, Syrian opposition forces entered Damascus, announcing the fall of Assad, who ruled from 2000 to 2024 after inheriting power from his father, Hafez al-Assad.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul