The overthrow of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and the end of the Assad regime after 54 years are a “relief to all those who suffered under his cruel dictatorship”, Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof said in a reaction on social media on Sunday evening.

“Now, a peaceful transition and the restoration of stability, while ensuring respect for all the country’s minorities, are crucial for Syria and the region,” Schoof said. “We are following developments closely.”

Foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp issued a similar statement, adding that a peaceful transition in line with UN security resolution 2254 is of “utmost importance”.

It is also crucial that freedom of religion is respected and that minority groups in Syria, such as Christians and Kurds, remain free and safe and have a role in the political transition, he said.

The resolution, passed in 2015, sets out a road map for a peace process in Syria.

Demonstrations

Hundreds of the 150,000 Syrian nationals in the Netherlands took to the streets in Utrecht and Zwolle on Sunday to celebrate the end of Assad’s rule, waving flags and chanting “freedom”.

Abed, 37, who fled to the Netherlands 10 years ago, told RTL he was trying to book a plane ticket to “take part in this historic moment”. He organised demonstrations against the Assad regime and fled to the Netherlands to escape the secret police. “I am so, so happy,” he said. “From today, I no longer need to feel afraid.”

Dima Kadri, 28, who left when she was 16 and studies international law, told the NRC that “the chain of fear has been broken”.

“I miss being in my own country, speaking my own language, and being seen as a normal person, not a hijabi, a Muslim, a Syrian or a refugee – all those words,” she told the paper.  

Others spoke of their joy at the downfall of Assad but said they were worried about what will happen next.

Dentist Majd Ruhban fled to the Netherlands in February after being threated with arrest for destroying a picture of Assad but has become caught up in domestic politics. “I have been asking myself if I have a future here,” she told the NRC. “I have heard from many Syrians who come from near Damascus that their requests had been rejected.”

“Safe parts”

The right-wing Dutch government had been planning to send Syrian refugees in the Netherlands back to “safe parts” of their home country and far-right leader Geert Wilders has spoken of restoring diplomatic links with Assad, which would have been key to sending asylum seekers back.

“I cannot be happy without also being afraid,” Ruhban said. “Everyone is asking, ‘Why now, what is behind it’. Will Turkey keep its influence in parts of the north and what is the balance between Russia, Iran, and other countries that influence Syria?”

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