Some members of former President Assad's military are being integrated into Syria's new order. They've been told to hand over their weapons or face prosecution. One former general from the western city of Homs spoke to DW correspondent Mohamad Chreyteh.
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00:00Isa al-Yassin was a general in Bashar al-Assad's army.
00:04He's here looking for redemption,
00:07with many other officers from the now-defunct regime,
00:11all seeking a new beginning in a new Syria.
00:16Isa served in the military for 38 years.
00:20He says he was in the Air Force Defense Division
00:23and did not take part in Syria's bloody civil war.
00:31I'm not scared. Why would I be?
00:36Things are going well and no one hurt us.
00:40I'm going out all the time and no one stopped me or questioned me.
00:45But I'm here for a settlement so that no one out of control could hurt me.
00:52Once I do this settlement, I'm free to go wherever I want.
01:01I'm free to go wherever I want.
01:03The police headquarters here in the western city of Homs
01:06is serving as one of many reconciliation centers
01:09that the new government has established across the country.
01:14Former officers come here to turn in their weapons and military ID cards.
01:23They stand on a photo of their old boss
01:26to pose for new civilian IDs.
01:30When they come here, ex-regime officers are given temporary receipts like this one.
01:36With these receipts, they are told they can go back to their daily life safely for now.
01:42The interim government says that later they will look into
01:46any alleged participation in crimes like torture.
01:52The new de facto authorities offer reassurances for those hesitant to show up.
02:02If they were not involved in atrocities,
02:05they can rejoin the army immediately if they want to.
02:09But those who have blood on their hands
02:11and were involved in violence against the Syrian people will be legally prosecuted.
02:17After that, they can be included in society and reclaim their civil rights.
02:26The streets nearby show the damage done by Syria's civil war,
02:31and evidence of atrocities surfaces every day.
02:36But the new caretaker government says everyone will get a second chance.
02:42Allah has accepted the new reality.
02:45It's a moment of surrender and survival.
02:50It's nearly time for me to retire anyway.
02:57I'm going back to a normal life.
03:01At this age, I can't work in reconstruction like the youngsters.
03:07So I have to look for office work.
03:10Maybe in a supermarket or a mall to do the finances.
03:18Even so, he offers to work with the new regime.
03:22It seems he may find a place here.
03:26We appreciate your presence here, and we value your expertise,
03:30and we hope that it would be beneficial for us.
03:36A general no more.
03:38Isa Al-Yassin goes to build his future.