Syrian equestrian champion tells of 21-year prison ordeal after beating Bashar al Assad’s brother in competition
A Syrian former equestrian champion has told how he was jailed and tortured for 21 years after he beat Bashar al Assad’s older brother in a competition.
Adnan Kassar, once a celebrated figure in the country’s sports scene, spoke to Sky News about his ordeal for the first time following the fall of the Assad family regime‘s more than 50-year rule.
He won multiple gold medals and captained the national equestrian team in the late 1980s, with his career peaking in 1993 at the third International Equestrian Championship in Latakia, where his flawless performance secured victory for the team.
Mr Kassar was a close friend of Bassel al Assad but the achievement apparently drew the ire of his fellow equestrian, who had faltered during the competition.
Bassel was the heir apparent to the Syrian presidency before his death in a car crash in 1994 led to his brother Bashar al Assad‘s return from London, where he worked as an eye doctor, to be trained to take over when his father died.
Adnan Kassar (left) with Bassel al Assad
“The crowd lifted me on their shoulders. It was a moment of pure joy, but for Bassel, it wasn’t the same. That day marked the beginning of my nightmare,” he said.
Shortly after the event, Mr Kassar was arrested over vague accusations, which he said were fabricated as a result of Bassel’s resentment.
He told how his detention turned into a prolonged ordeal marked by brutal interrogations and years of physical and psychological abuse.
“I was kept underground for six months, beaten constantly, and interrogated without end,” he said.
He was then transferred to the notorious Sednaya Prison, dubbed the “human slaughterhouse”, where he said “the torture only got worse”.
Former Syrian President Hafez al Assad, his wife Aniseh, sons Maher, Bashar, Bassel, Majd and daughter Bushra (standing, L-R). Pic: Sana/Reuters
Read more:
From doctor to dictator – Assad’s rise and fall
Inside Syria’s notorious ‘human slaughterhouse’
Mr Kassar said his treatment became even more severe after Bassel died.
“They blamed me for his death,” he said. “Every year on the anniversary of his passing, the torture intensified.”
He was also held for seven-and-a-half years at Tadmur Prison, which is also infamous for its inhumane conditions.
“They pierced my ear one morning and broke my jaw in the evening,” he recalled, saying acts as simple as praying were met with extreme punishment.
“For praying, they lashed me 1,000 times. My feet were torn apart, my bones exposed,” he said.
Many activists repeatedly raised his case following the outbreak of the Syrian revolution, which demanded the end of the Assad family rule.
But despite international appeals, his name was repeatedly excluded from amnesty decrees issued during his imprisonment.
Mr Kassar was finally released on 16 June 2014 after sustained pressure from international groups – nearly 22 years after his arrest.
Until now, he has remained silent about his imprisonment, fearing that any attempt to share his story could result in re-arrest and a return to prison, but has spoken out after Assad was toppled as Syrian president.
“After years of imprisonment, torture, and injustice, the revolution finally toppled the dictatorial regime,” he added.
World
US defence secretary signals dramatic shift in American military policy away from Europe, warning allies about ‘stark strategic realities’
US troops will not be used to secure the peace in Ukraine following any ceasefire deal with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump’s new defence secretary has declared, as he signalled a dramatic shift in American foreign and defence policy away from Europe.
Pete Hegseth also said it is “unrealistic” to think Ukraine can return to its pre-2014 borders and he ruled out NATO membership as way to guarantee Kyiv’s security.
This will be a huge blow for Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The interventions came at the opening of a meeting of allies in Brussels on Wednesday.
Follow live: Ukraine war latest
Defence secretaries Pete Hegseth and John Healey meeting in Brussels.
Pic: Reuters/Johanna Geron/Pool
Mr Hegseth said Washington must focus on the threat posed by China and securing its own borders.
He added: “Stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.
“As the United States shifts its attention to these threats, European allies must lead from the front,” Mr Hegseth said in opening remarks at the gathering of NATO and non-NATO countries that are providing military support to Ukraine.
NATO spending
Mr Trump – a long-time critic of the alliance, which he sees as containing freeloaders that benefit from American military strength without investing in their own security – has said all NATO allies should increase defence spending to 5% of GDP.
This is more than double the current target. The UK is only spending 2.3%.
While still supportive of NATO, Mr Hegseth warned that America’s patience was limited.
“Our transatlantic alliance has endured for decades. And we fully expect it will sustained for generations more. But this won’t just happen,” he said.
He continued: “It will require our European allies to step into the arena and take ownership of conventional security on this continent.
“The United States remains committed to the NATO alliance and to the defence partnership with Europe.
“Our relationship will prioritise empowering Europe to own responsibility for its security.”
Ukraine-Russia war
Mr Hegseth also had strong words about Russia’s war in Ukraine, which he said “must end”.
Speaking frankly, he dismissed a fundamental Ukrainian goal to recapture all its territory – including Crimea and swathes of the Donbas that were seized by Russia in 2014 when Mr Putin first invaded his neighbour. This aim had previously been backed by the UK and other allies.
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“We want… a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognising that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective,” he said.
“Chasing this illusory goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”
The US defence secretary said that a durable peace must include robust security guarantees to ensure that the war won’t begin again – but he made clear that the US would not be part of that effort on the ground and it could not be a NATO operation.
It was not immediately clear, however, whether the US military may help to provide protection from a distance.
“These security guarantees should not be provided through NATO membership, but must instead be backed by capable European and non-European troops,” the US defence secretary said.
“If these troops are deployed as peacekeepers to Ukraine at any point, they should be deployed as part of a non-NATO mission and not covered under Article 5. There also must be robust international oversight of the line of contact.”
Pete Hegseth stands with German defence minister Boris Pistorius.
Pic: Reuters/Johanna Geron/Pool
Article 5 of NATO says an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
Read more: What is Article 5?
Mr Hegseth continued: “To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be US troops deployed to Ukraine.”
His words will be a significant setback for Kyiv.
President Zelenskyy told Sky News last week that any peacekeeping force that did not include a US element would be a “major mistake”, signalling that he did not believe European militaries alone could deter Moscow.
The retreat of the US from its leadership role in Ukraine was clear in the choreography of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting – an alignment of allies gathered together by Washington under Joe Biden and his defence secretary Loyd Austin after Russia launched its full-scale invasion almost exactly three years ago.
Future of European security
The regular meetings have until now always been chaired by the US.
Wednesday’s meeting, however, was led by John Healey, the UK defence secretary.
Mr Hegseth made clear that European allies would need to step up and take on much more of the effort to provide Ukraine with weapons and non-military support.
“Safeguarding European security is an imperative for European members of NATO. As part of this, Europe must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and nonlethal aid to Ukraine,” he said.
This means donating more ammunition, expanding Europe’s defence industrial base and rallying the public to be willing to respond to the threat the continent faces.
“Part of this is speaking frankly with your people about how this threat can only be met by spending more on defence and investing strategically,” Mr Hegseth said.
“Increasing your commitment to your own security is a down payment for the future.”
Earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he agreed with US president Donald Trump on the need for Washington and European allies to share the burden of military aid for Ukraine more equally.
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