Syrian prison offers a glimpse into Assad’s brutal rule

In Damascus, the Syrian capital, the body of Mazen al-Hamada was laid to rest on Thursday, marking the final chapter in the life of a man who dared to stand up to Bashar al-Assad’s oppressive regime.

Hamada, a well-known activist, had been arrested several times — once, for smuggling baby formula to a suburb of Damascus, which was under siege. He was also arrested for taking part in anti-government protests. His last arrest came in 2020, after which he was imprisoned. 

This week, his body was found at a hospital near Damascus. His niece said it bore signs of torture. Hamada was detained at the Sednaya prison, which for years has been synonymous with death and disappearance.

“This is the first time we saw real photos and videos coming out of Sednaya,” said Fadel Abdulghany, the founder of the Syrian Network for Human Rights. 

For the past decade, Abdulghany’s team has been documenting cases of Syrians who were arrested and never heard of again. He said that when the Syrian government fell last Sunday, families of those who’d vanished into Assad’s network of prisons suddenly had a renewed hope. But many left with no information.

Some, who had traveled from other cities, slept in the open area outside the prison. They lit small bonfires to keep themselves warm.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, a group of first responders that has been crucial in efforts to rescue airstrike  survivors, dug for possible underground tunnels and secret prison cells.

Ismail Alabdullah with the White Helmets said that after working for 24 hours, they didn’t find anything. But he said that the families kept insisting that they continue to dig: “They don’t want to believe that their loved ones and their relatives are gone — killed by the brutal regime.”

Twenty-four hours later, Abdulghany delivered the news to the families. He said that he broke down as he began to make the announcement he’d never wanted to make — that between 80,000 to 90,000 people were likely killed under torture or executed, a number that he explained was based on years of documentation using civil registry and death certificate records.

“I wasn’t able to hold myself. It’s a heavy burden. So many families [were] waiting for any hint of hope,” he said. 

Samer Daboul is among those who have been hopeful about locating loved ones.

Daboul was in high school in 2012 when his uncle, Abdulrahman Abdurazaq, was taken from his home in Aleppo. The city had become too dangerous, so on a hot summer day, the whole family packed into their cars and drove to Idlib, a city further north.

Abdurazaq, who taught Arabic at a university there, told Daboul that he had to return to Aleppo to pick up some books he’d left behind. Daboul said that he remembers their last conversation: “He said, ‘When I [am] back, we will go to drink mate’ [a famous Syrian drink].”

But his uncle never returned. Abdurazaq’s wife, who had been with him, relayed that government security forces came to their home and took him away. For the past 12 years, Daboul said, his family has been getting drips of information here and there: “He [was] transferred from Aleppo to Damascus. Then, he [was] transferred to the field court. Then, he [was] transferred to Sednaya.”

This week, when Daboul, who lives in Europe, heard about the release of prisoners, he said, he pored over WhatsApp groups and searched lists of prisoners that were making the rounds online. He found his uncle’s name in a WhatsApp group chat, he said. And he’s sure it’s him because all of the details match, including his uncle’s birthday and parents’ names.

Even though the White Helmets have called off the search at Sednaya Prison, and the remaining people have most likely been killed, Daboul said that he is determined to find his uncle.

He said that his family deserves closure — and his fight against the man responsible for all this will continue: “For me, I will feel victory and celebrate when I see Assad in the court. And I will do all my best to see this moment.”

No one who orders such crimes should be walking free, Daboul said.