麻豆社

While filming in rebel-held Syria, Loubna Mrie is falsely accused of being a spy 鈥� an accusation that spirals into a life-threatening ordeal, triggering the deepest loss of her life.

In 2011, Loubna Mrie broke from her loyalist family to join Syria鈥檚 underground network of activists. She used her Alawite identity 鈥� the same minority sect as the ruling Assads 鈥� to move through checkpoints and secretly film anti-government protests, even as it put her in conflict with her powerful father and the regime that had shaped her childhood.

But Loubna鈥檚 Alawite background made her a target for both sides. While filming in a rebel-held village, a local commander falsely accused her of being 鈥渁n Alawite spy鈥� and planned to execute her. Rescued at the last moment by a fellow activist, Loubna fled Syria 鈥� uploading a video declaring her support for the uprising before crossing into Turkey. What followed was a shattering personal loss.

From exile, Loubna struggled with grief, guilt and addiction. She lost friends and a partner to the war, survived alone in a new country, and eventually entered rehab 鈥� where she learned that Bashar al-Assad had finally fallen from power in Syria. For Loubna, the news was not a triumph but a painful reckoning: the end had come far too late for so many she loved. Loubna鈥檚 written a book called Defiance: A Memoir of Awakening, Rebellion, and Survival in Syria.

Loubna shares her story over two episodes. In the previous episode, she described her journey from a loyalist upbringing to becoming one of the unlikely young revolutionaries who documented Syria鈥檚 civil war. In part two, the same identity that once protected her puts her in danger.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Maryam Maruf
Editor: Munazza Khan

Lives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the 麻豆社 World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world.听Each episode a guest shares their most dramatic, moving, personal story. Listen for unbelievable twists, mysteries uncovered, and inspiring journeys - spanning the entire human experience. Step into someone else鈥檚 life and expect the unexpected.
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