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.
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