Majd Shahoud, 38, from Homs Bab al-Sbaa – out celebrating with her nephew Mohamed

How was the regime’s treatment of people in Homs? It was cruel. Cruel, cruel, cruel. We had no electricity, no water, no internet, everything was an issue.

Yesterday we were waiting, hopeful, waiting for you, for the day that Syria can truly become Syria. Today is a day of joy, it’s like a dream.

My Homs, my soul, my life is Homs, Syria is Homs. We are the children of this country, we’re one, we don’t want anyone hurt any more.

I dream that we can live, like other countries who have toppled their regimes, to be without fear, to not fear speaking out.

Today on the streets I just saw tears. Tears, tears, tears. Now I see that Syria really is ours, now I feel that this is my Syria and when I saw them, may God protect them, when I saw them come… they have avenged my brother, my uncle.

They’re both missing. My uncle has been missing for 14 years, the same age as his son, he went missing just as the boy was born.

My other uncle was killed at the door to his home… today I feel we have been avenged.