The Syrian spaceman who became a refugee | Guardian Docs

Muhammed Faris became Syria’s first Syrian astronaut in 1987, and subsequently used as a propaganda tool by President Hafez al-Assad. Subscribe to The Guardian ► But when the Syrian people rose up against his son Bashar, Faris sided with the Free Syrian Army rebels. Now a refugee in Istanbul, he reflects on his exile from the beloved country he once saw from space. Read the full story: From astronaut to refugee: how the Syrian spaceman fell to Earth ►