Syria in Turmoil: Freed Prisoners Unveil Horrors of Sednaya Detention Center

Damascus, Syria –

Syria in Turmoil: In a dramatic turn of events, Syrian rebels have liberated thousands of prisoners from the Assad regime’s infamous detention facilities, revealing harrowing tales of abuse, torture, and survival. Among those freed were inmates from the Sednaya prison, a site long shrouded in secrecy and fear.

Liberation Amid Rebel Offensive

Led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Syrian rebels have taken control of strategic territories on their path to Damascus, which led President Bashar al-Assad to leave the country. The rebels have also made a crucial move in the act of rebellion by opening the gates of infamous prisons like Sednaya, where people were presumed dead or missing for years.

Verified footage from Damascus depicts scenes of liberation as women and children, visibly disoriented, step out of their cells into freedom. “Don’t be afraid,” the rebels reassured the freed detainees, marking a stark contrast to the oppression they endured under the regime.

Harrowing Accounts of Survival

One of the survivors, a young man who was freed from Sednaya, described the ordeal: “I had no name in prison, just a number. I lost identity, name, and character. My family thought I was dead.”

Another man who was freed told his narrow escape from execution. “Just 30 minutes ago, I was scheduled to be hanged,” he revealed, standing beside fellow survivors. “Fifty-four men were to be executed today.”

Bashar Barhoum, 63, the writer and political prisoner, was among those released. Barhoum was to be executed on Tuesday but stepped into the Damascus sun for the first time in years. “I haven’t seen the sun until today,” his voice trembled with disbelief.

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Lawyer Nabil Halabi reports that lower cells in #Saydnaya Prison, known as "red wards" or "death wards," remain sealed. The regime disabled electronic gates and ventilation systems, leaving detainees trapped in what are described as human slaughterhouses.

— Maher Akraa (@maherakraa) December 8, 2024

Conditions Inside Sednaya

End Survivors recounted appalling conditions within the facility. Prisoners were crammed into overcrowded dormitories, with as many as 25 people forced to live in spaces barely fit for a fraction of that number. Conversations were forbidden, and detainees were often made to stare at the ground to avoid punishment.

Physical and psychological torture was rampant. Common methods included electrocution, burning, and beatings, while sexual violence and forced nudity were used as tools of humiliation and control. Some prisoners reported being confined alongside corpses or witnessing the brutal killings of fellow detainees.

The Role of the White Helmets

The Syrian Civil Defence, more popularly known as the White Helmets, has launched operations to uncover hidden chambers within Sednaya and other detention facilities. Their efforts, with the support of specialized rescue teams, aim to find more missing persons.

International Response

A recent report by the International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) on the situation of detainees within Assad’s detention system has underlined systemic abuse. The report, based on interviews with more than 300 former detainees, speaks of extreme physical and mental torture, including the notorious “Flying Carpet” method, where detainees were strapped to wooden boards and beaten mercilessly.

The Fall of Assad and Future of Syria

With the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, global leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, have hailed the fall of the regime. However, questions remain about who will govern Syria in the aftermath of this dramatic regime change.

Hopefully, many Syrians hope the release of these prisoners will become a beacon of hope for them. However, the scars of brutal rule by the regime will remain, and the nation faces a long way to rebuilding her future.