Syrians mark a month since al-Assad’s overthrow with concert in capital

Syria's former president, Bashar al-Assad, was overthrown a month ago, ending his family's more than fifty-year rule in Syria and nearly fourteen years of civil war. Assad fled to Russia on December 8th and has not made a public appearance since.

On Wednesday evening, thousands of people gathered in the capital, Damascus, for a concert celebrating the uprising, a day that had seemed unattainable for some Syrians. Al Jazeera's diplomatic editor, James Bays, reporting from Damascus, said that people gathered in a basketball stadium in the city center for the celebratory concert, marking a month of relative peace and stability.

“There is a real sense of joy here, a full month after Assad’s downfall,” Bays stated. He added, “Outside the stadium, there is a large poster of Assad, but only his hair and forehead are now visible. The rest has been torn away, much like his regime, army, and entire institution were completely destroyed a month ago.” Bays also noted that proceeds from the concert would be donated to prominent NGOs, including the White Helmets, who worked to rescue people from the rubble during Syrian and Russian airstrikes under Assad's regime.

In Damascus, many Syrians are also looking ahead to the future of their new country. Nada Dayeh, a Syrian resident, told Al Jazeera, “I hope the future will be better. There was no life under Assad. We were afraid of him and his army.” Bookstore owner Mamoun Nahrawi said that the economy should now open up after years of sanctions imposed by the US and other Western countries. “The sanctions must be lifted. Otherwise, people will not see positive effects. Under Assad, the people were humiliated,” he told Al Jazeera.

Syria, one of the most heavily sanctioned countries in the world, is seeing its new government, led by Ahmed Shala, attempt to change that. The UN Security Council held its first meeting of the year on Wednesday, focusing on the issue. Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo, reporting from the UN headquarters in New York, said that the council pushed for the lifting of sanctions during the meeting. The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, also stated at the council meeting that "a commitment to an inclusive political transition" would help ensure that Syria "swiftly receives the economic support it desperately needs, which in turn requires a smooth end to sanctions." Elizondo pointed out that the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, also told the council that sanctions should not impede humanitarian aid to the country.

In the coming weeks, a national conference to discuss Syria’s transition to democracy is set to begin. Meanwhile, US officials have also begun negotiations with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on easing financial restrictions on Damascus, conditional on the new government severing ties with Russia and Iran and providing political stability.