A year on from the ousting of Assad, Syrians remember the pain but rejoice at their freedom

Syrians shout slogans and wave flags outside the Umayyad Mosque before a prayer held ahead of celebrations marking the first anniversary of the ousting of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Damascus, Syria, on Monday. Omar Sanadiki/AP Damascus, Syria —

“Raise your head up high, you’re a free Syrian” goes the chorus of the Arabic song that has become the unofficial anthem of the new Syria. It’s everywhere in the capital Damascus – blasted out from loudspeakers in the markets, chanted at celebrations in the main square and even sung by the man handing traditional coffee to passengers landing at the airport.

Many Syrians kept their heads down under the tyrannical reign of the Al-Assad dynasty for more than half a century . The ruling family enforced a sprawling surveillance state where