Before he was infamous: Assad family photos show different side of leader

The Daily Telegraph has acquired photos of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad with his family, taken five to seven years ago, when he was perceived as a different type of leader than people see him now. “Unseen by the photographer, and by most visitors to Syria,” writes reporter Nick Meo, “were the torture chambers, tanks and chemical weapons that the family relied on to maintain their brutal rule.” It’s unlikely Assad’s family life looks anything like this these days. (photo by Camera Press)