Ragheed Tatari was arrested in 1982 for refusing to carry out orders from then-President Hafez al-Assad to bomb civilians
Residents of Hama province in central Syria on Friday honored pilot Ragheed Tatari, who spent 43 years in Assad regime prisons before its downfall.
Tattari was arrested in 1982 for refusing to carry out orders from then-President Hafez al-Assad to bomb civilians in Hama.
Footage shared by Syrian activists captured the tribute at a mosque in Hama following the Friday prayer, which included a memorial service across the country.
Tatari was presented with a golden sword by Sheikh Muaz Rayhan on behalf of the people of Hama for his courage and sacrifice. The sword was described as a “symbolic gift” for spending more than half his life in prison.
Tatari was freed by Syrian opposition forces linked to the new administration in Syria after the regime of Bashar al-Assad collapsed. After his release, he was reunited with his family.
Born in Damascus in 1955, Tatari joined the Syrian Air Force in his early 20s. In 1980, he refused to comply with orders to bomb targets in Hama and declined to report on his defecting colleagues.
This defiance resulted in his dismissal from the military. Seeking safety, Tatari fled to Jordan and later Egypt, where he attempted to apply for asylum through the UN. However, his application was denied.
Tatari returned to Syria in late 1981 and was arrested upon arrival at Damascus International Airport by Assad's regime. He remained imprisoned until his release by opposition forces alongside thousands of other detainees following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party's regime, which had been in power since 1963.
The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters captured key cities in a lightning offensive that lasted less than two weeks.
