I was not surprised, and many who listened or read the statements made by him in a conference attended by his family members and some of his associates, which took place in Paris, as well as his statements on some television channels, were not surprised either. The overall content of his statements indicates a certain illness affecting Rifaat al-Assad, namely, the disease of delusion and fabrication, especially in evading responsibility for all the actions he committed and participated in. Among these crimes are the Hama massacre and the destruction massacre, where he portrayed himself as a regular officer in the army with no connection to everything that happened in Syria, blaming his late brother and others for the responsibility for those crimes.
There is no doubt that the policy of isolation, exclusion, and discrimination that the regime relied on has created an atmosphere of sectarian tension in the country. This is due to depriving the overwhelming majority of Syrians of their basic rights and unleashing individuals like Rifaat al-Assad and similar individuals to commit some of the most brutal acts and engage in all kinds of corruption.
What exacerbated sectarian tension was the heinous crime committed by an officer in the paramilitary vanguard forces established by Marwan Hadid, who was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood before committing the crime and then separated from it.
This crime left a bad impact on all Syrians, but its impact was most significant on the families of students at the artillery school, all of whom were from the Alawite sect. The crime occurred in mid-June 1979 when a teacher officer killed forty students in one of the classrooms and expelled all students who did not belong to the Alawite sect.
It is worth noting that the regime dealt thoughtlessly with this crime, shedding light on Islamic currents, including the Muslim Brotherhood.
As a consequence of these circumstances, the Muslim Brotherhood was pursued in the country, leading to clashes with them. One of the outcomes of this clash was the Hama massacre committed by this regime, which increased the severity of sectarian tension. Other solutions could have been found to end the Muslim Brotherhood’s sit-in in Hama.
Rifaat al-Assad played a fundamental role in the Hama massacre, and Unit 569, led by him, was the first military unit to enter Hama, committing many crimes in that brave city.
Rifaat al-Assad claims that he did not visit the city of Hama and that only hundreds of his unit went to Hama by order of the army leadership. I would like to clarify the following:
Firstly, there is no truth to Rifaat al-Assad’s claim that the leadership formed two committees, one military and the other political, including Hafez al-Assad, Abdulhaleem Khaddam, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Interior. Only the narrow military group close to Hafez al-Assad, including Rifaat, managed the battle in all its security and political dimensions. No political committee was formed to manage the political battle, and the Qatari leadership, Baathists, and members of the National Front often received information from the street coming from Hama, in addition to leaks from the military. The national party leadership did not know about the Hama massacre until the government requested additional budget approval for the city’s reconstruction.
Secondly, the leadership of the military division that fought alongside the Defense Brigades received instructions from the army command. They invaded Hama as part of one of the army divisions, and I no longer remember its name. Their direct connection was with Hafez al-Assad and the military command. Information about the events’ developments reached the army command. In any case, the names of those involved in the killings will be determined when a committee is formed after the fall of the regime to investigate the Hama massacre comprehensively and share its results. This crime is one of the major crimes that occurred in Syria during this period, and this file should not be closed, as it constitutes a wound in the body of the Syrian people.
Thirdly, another genocide crime, the Sednaya Prison massacre, was committed by Unit 569 led by Rifaat al-Assad. The officers in this unit follow no orders unless they come directly from Rifaat or Hafez al-Assad. On the day of the crime, Hafez al-Assad was hospitalized, and several members of the national party leadership were present. However, Hafez did not give any instructions to any military entity since he was preoccupied with his injury and concerned about an assassination attempt.
More than a thousand innocent prisoners were killed in this crime, and none of them had attempted assassination. The one who attempted the assassination was a recruit in the palace guards. It is essential to open the file of this crime.
Fourthly, Rifaat al-Assad claimed to have been an ordinary officer in the army and, in a television interview, asserted that he had always been an opposition figure. He stated that he left the country, had no money, and his children worked with funds allegedly received from Syrian bourgeoisie. This is a lie that no sensible person could believe. Some bourgeoisie in Syria provided him with money when he was in power to secure deals with the state.
Practically, Rifaat al-Assad did not engage in professional military leadership. Instead, he used his leadership of Unit 569 to dominate the state, utilize its institutions for wealth accumulation, and continued to lead the unit despite being appointed as the head of the Higher Education Bureau.
Rifaat al-Assad claims that he was never invited to national party leadership . However, how could he lead the Higher Education Bureau and accuse senior military figures, such as General Ali Duba, General Shafiq Fayadh, and General Ibrahim Safi, of conspiring against his brother in one of the leadership meetings, demanding their expulsion from the party? This happened during the period when his brother Hafez was attempting a coup and seizing power.
When his brother Hafez decided to exile him from the country, he was granted a sum of 400 million dollars, 300 million of which were later confirmed to be a loan from Libya, which was repaid afterward.
Rifaat al-Assad also claims that he was always an opposition figure. However, can opposition be reconciled with his control of the prime minister’s office at that time and his ability to secure deals for his friends among the Syrian bourgeoisie?
Rifaat al-Assad stated in a television interview that the army and the people wanted him as the president because, as the president said, someone from the Assad family must hold the presidency. Can a rational person believe in the delusion Rifaat al-Assad is living?
