President Assad’s critics are “blind”, his son has said, insisting that the Syrian ruler is defending his nation.
Hafez Assad, 15, is in Rio de Janeiro to represent Syria in the International Mathematical Olympiad. His father is subject to a travel ban in Europe and has left Syria only once since the start of the conflict in 2011, but Hafez has often travelled abroad, including visiting Hong Kong last year for a similar event.
He said that opponents of his father did not understand the reality. “I know what kind of man my father is. People say a lot of things. Many are blind. But this isn’t reality,” he told the Brazilian daily O Globo.
“I live and see the horror that is happening in my country. It’s not a civil war, it’s people taking our home. The population and the government are united against the invaders.”
Hafez said of his trip: “We have come to show the world that the country is going better, much better. And in these difficult times, a generation like ours can bring peace.”