In early 2011 President Bashir al-Assad refused his citizens' demands to hold free elections in Syria:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2011/03/protests_middle_east

Then he started suppressing the demonstrations:
https://www.hrw.org/news/2011/03/21/syria-government-crackdown-leads-protester-deaths

Then he stared torturing children:
https://news.vice.com/article/the-young-men-who-started-syrias-revolution-speak-about-daraa-where-it-all-began

Then the previous day's meal hit the fan and the country fell apart.

At that point in time, the Russo-Syrian propaganda machine here pointed to "the West" as the evil instigator behind "Arab Spring", and the clear desire of Arab citizens for free elections was openly mocked.

Assad should have granted his citizens' free elections in the first place, and saved his country.

The Russo-Syrian propaganda machine will mock it, but the timeline of events is public record:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Syrian_Civil_War