Syria's dark past revealed: Search for Assad's missing prisoners
The fall of the Syrian regime sparked euphoria among the populace. However, this enthusiasm is accompanied by tragic reflections, as the darkest sides of the despotic rule begin to surface. On Monday, the "Guardian" reported on the dramatic search for prisoners in the underground of the Sednaya prison, known as the "human slaughterhouse".
On the outskirts of Damascus, a door leading to the underground complex of Sednaya prison was discovered, where the last prisoners of Assad's regime are being held. According to reports, there may be 1,500 people imprisoned underground.
Crowds of people, including families of the missing, arrived at the prison, notorious for its brutal torture. Rebel fighters tried to hold back the crowd, but the people could not be stopped. Inside the prison, a hidden area called the "red wing" was searched, where prisoners might die from hunger and lack of air.
Assad's nightmare prison: The "human slaughterhouse"
Ahmad al-Shnein, who was searching for three missing family members, said: "They told us that there are four levels underground, and that people are choking inside – but we don’t know where it is."
As described by the "Guardian," Sednaya prison was designed to create confusion. At its center is a spiral staircase surrounded by metal bars. According to Amnesty International, up to 20,000 prisoners were held in Sednaya, many of whom died due to torture.
The walls of the cells were covered with messages written by prisoners. One inmate, Mohammed Abdulfatah al-Jassem, described the death of a fellow prisoner, leaving a phone number that did not respond.
The Syrian civil defense reported that despite intense searches, no prisoners were found in the underground. For many, Sednaya was the last hope of finding their loved ones.
Photos documenting access to the prisoners were shown on the X platform. Journalist Nedal Ar-Amari published them. "Dozens of bodies of Syrian detainees have been found from Sednaya Prison in Harasta Hospital. The hospital is filled with bodies of those executed or tortured to death, many of whom remain unidentified. Rescue teams there urgently need assistance to search for detainees in secret prisons whose locations are unknown to us," he wrote.
He appealed to the international community, which has not shown assistance for 14 years. He wrote that it would be a "stain of shame" if the world did not now help Syria, which has broken free from five decades of regime rule.
The regime of Bashar al-Assad fell last weekend when Syrian rebels seized Damascus. The capture of the capital marks a historic turn in the conflict that has been ongoing since 2011. The new authorities must now face the challenges of rebuilding the country and achieving political stabilization.
