Families of Syrian prisoners Saidnaya Jail The rebels took over the country and saw a glimmer of hope after freeing all the people inside the jail.
The Washington Post reported that by Sunday, the facility near Damascus was transformed from a silent place filled with the sounds of families searching for their missing relatives, as guards left their posts and doors were left open.
Social media footage shows families approaching the prison, previously known for its brutality, to seek information about their missing loved ones, hoping either to reunite with them or confirm their fate.
‘A number not a name’: In Syria, freed prisoners recall past horrors
As rebels quickly advanced and captured Damascus early Sunday morning, prison security personnel abandoned facilities across the country. The Syrian population now awaits news about the fate of more than 100,000 missing detainees.
Television broadcasts across Syria showed the previously hidden interiors of government detention centers. Footage captured freed prisoners, visibly weak and often shoeless, making their way to freedom.
According to Amnesty International, Sednaya once held up to 20,000 prisoners. Former detainees reported numerous executions and deaths by neglect, with guards maintaining strict silence as prisoners rested on stone floors covered in blood and sweat under covers filled with insects.
Diab Seria, who previously experienced detention at Sednaya and co-founded the Association of Detainees and the Missing in Sednaya prison, reported that approximately 8,000 relatives were searching cells while civil defense personnel tried to reach underground chambers. were
“Some rebels are trying to organize a search, but so far there is no proper list,” Seria said.
This White helmet Five teams deployed to Sednaya to investigate hidden underground cells where survivors indicate continued occupation. These teams include wall breaching experts, door opening experts, trained dogs and medical personnel, guided by someone familiar with the prison layout.
As the rebels advanced across Syria, they liberated government detention facilities. Human rights organizations report that government forces detained thousands of people in camps where torture was widespread.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) announced the release of more than 3,500 prisoners from the Homs military prison on Saturday. By Sunday, they declared an end to the persecution at Saidnaya prison, synonymous with Assad-era brutality.
A 2022 report by the ADMSP described Saidnaya as a post-2011 “death camp”, estimating more than 30,000 deaths from executions, torture, medical neglect and starvation between 2011–2018, with at least 500 more executed by 2021. .
A 2017 report by Amnesty International called Saidnaya a “human slaughterhouse” accused of government-sanctioned executions. The regime rejected these claims, maintaining due legal procedures.
A Syrian human rights organization estimates that more than 130,000 have been detained since 2011. The fear of Syrian prisons spread to Lebanon during the influence of Damascus.
The liberation of these facilities, freeing thousands of prisoners, is an important moment Assad regimeThe fall of