Amr Salem mingles cheerfully with foreign investors and members of Syria’s interim government in a five-star hotel in Damascus, and why not? Salem’s disposition, clothing, and manners fit the scene. Yet Salem was, in fact, a minister in Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the officials he warmly greets are members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), with whom the regime fought a brutal 14-year-long civil war. When Assad fled Syria last month, many of his officials escaped the country too. But not Salem.
Salem chooses his words carefully, portraying himself as a patriot who loyally served his country from the inside
‘Bashar was my friend,’ Salem states firmly. ‘I think he really liked me. But he betrayed me, even though he didn’t do anything to [physically] harm me. Only financially. And he banned me from leaving the country for 13 years.’
Salem chooses his words carefully, portraying himself as a true patriot who loyally served his country and fought corruption from the inside.
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