Comrade Bashir's sister, comrade Usayma, and their relative Amal were at home when we arrived. So where Bashir's brothers, Munzir, Ziyad, and Walid. I was very happy to see all of them. The next day, Thursday, July 7, however, Security forces stormed the house just after we had our lunch. They ordered me to be transported to St Sednaya Monastery, which was a short distance outside Damascus. When they showed up I knew that something was very wrong. I thought that they might have apprehended Saadeh or even handed him over to the Lebanese government. I also was very disturbed since Maaruf Saab did not show up to tell me how the meeting went. So I asked the security forces why they were taking me to Sednaya. They told me that it was for my and my daughters' protection. I said that I was capable to take care of myself and my daughters and that they should not bother. They answered back that these were their orders and that they had to comply with them. Comrade George Baladi was with them. Actually he had brought them since he knew the owner of Barada Hotel and the security forces had asked him to take them to where I was staying. I asked George to ask Adib Chichakly about me being taken to Sednaya. George went and came back to tell me that Adib had told him that it was better for me to go with the security forces. I gave him the sum that Saadeh had given to me and that was earmarked for the building of the home in Duhur al Shuwayr. I told him to give him back to my husband. I also told him to tell Saadeh not to remain in the country and to go as far away as possible. I also instructed him to tell my husband that he should not bother about me. However, events had taken a negative direction. The conspiracy of killing Saadeh had already been arranged and I was still away from him.
We went to Sednaya. The Monastery's Head Sister put us in a room with only one old bed. We stayed there for two days. We asked for some mattresses and were given some so that the children could have a better place to sleep. I saw that there was a policemen on guard outside the door at all times. I understood that we were under unofficial house arrest. We asked to transfer to another room with at least two beds. We transferred to our new room and we stayed there until we left Sednaya months later.
