Artist Youssef Abdelke on Assad, freedom and Syria’s future

This week, Syria’s new rulers were forced to backtrack, after proposed changes to the national education curriculum sparked concerns about ‘Islamisation’.

One person worried about the direction his country will take is Youssef Abdelke. He’s one of Syria’s leading artists, whose work is shown around the world, including in London’s British Museum.

He’s used his art as a form of dissent against the Assad regime. Despite being detained under Hafez al-Assad 45 years ago and under his son Bashar in 2013, he stayed in Syria.

Krishnan Guru-Murthy went to meet him in Damascus.