From Assad to al-Sharaa: a former prisoner reveals the ongoing repression of Syrian women

From Assad to al-Sharaa: a former prisoner reveals the ongoing repression of Syrian women

In an exclusive interview with The New Arab, Syrian writer, novelist, human rights activist and former political prisoner Hasiba Abd al-Rahman reflects on a lifetime of resistance, imprisonment, and the continuing struggle for women's rights in Syria.

One of Syria's earliest communist political prisoners, Hasiba was imprisoned four times under both Hafez al-Assad and his son, Bashar al-Assad. Her decades-long fight for freedom began as a teenager, when she was first arrested at the age of 20 for her political activism. Since then, she has dedicated her life to defending human rights, documenting political repression, and giving voice to those silenced by dictatorship.

Speaking from her home in Damascus, Hasiba recounts her journey through Syria's prisons, recalling the torture she endured under the Assad regime and the abuse suffered by countless other female prisoners.

Beyond her political activism, Hasiba has built a distinguished literary career. Her novel The Cocoon (Al-Sharnaqa) draws on the realities of imprisonment and torture in Syrian prisons.

From the rule of Hafez al-Assad to the current government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, Hasiba argues that Syrian women continue to face repression despite decades of sacrifice. While many hoped the fall of the Assad regime would usher in greater freedoms, Hasiba says she fears the country's new rulers will continue to restrict women's rights.

Filmed & produced by Reem Khabbazy