The White Helmets, Syria’s civil defense group, has launched an investigation into reports from survivors of the notorious Saydnaya prison, alleging that people are being held in hidden underground cells. The group announced on X (formerly Twitter) that it had dispatched five specialized emergency teams to the prison. Guided by an individual familiar with the facility’s layout, they are working to locate and free detainees.
Saydnaya, long associated with the darkest abuses of the Assad regime, was among the prisons liberated as rebels gained control across Syria. Local authorities in Damascus province confirmed ongoing efforts to rescue prisoners, some of whom were reportedly on the brink of suffocation due to a lack of ventilation in the underground cells.
As per the sources of Leaders, the Damascus Countryside Governorate has appealed on social media to former soldiers and prison staff of Bashar al-Assad’s regime to provide access codes for the electronic underground doors. These doors, which remain locked, reportedly imprison over 100,000 detainees, visible on CCTV monitors.
Scenes of Liberation and Desperation
Footage circulating online, including coverage from Al Jazeera, depicts the rebels’ attempts to access lower parts of Saydnaya prison. One video shows a man using a makeshift tool to break through a wall, revealing a hidden space behind it. Other clips capture the emotional moments of prisoners being freed, including a small child clinging to his mother as they emerge from captivity.
In a video shared by the Turkey-based Association of Detainees and The Missing in Saydnaya Prison (ADMSP), a voice reassures newly freed women, saying, “He [Assad] has fallen. Don’t be scared.” Meanwhile, videos verified by AFP show Syrians rushing to identify their loved ones among the released prisoners, many of whom had endured years of torture and imprisonment.
The Symbolism of Saydnaya
According to the sources of Leaders, Saydnaya prison has long been a symbol of the Assad regime’s brutality. Reports from human rights organizations have documented systematic torture, sexual abuse, and mass executions within its walls. In a 2022 report, ADMSP described the facility as a “death camp,” estimating that over 30,000 detainees had died from execution, torture, starvation, or lack of medical care between 2011 and 2018. Another 500 were reportedly executed between 2018 and 2021.
Amnesty International previously referred to Saydnaya as a “human slaughterhouse,” alleging that executions were carried out with the highest levels of government authorization. While the Assad regime dismissed these claims as baseless, the testimonies of survivors and the sheer scale of documented abuses paint a harrowing picture of systemic cruelty.
Rebel Forces Accelerate Prisoner Releases
As rebel forces advanced across Syria, liberating city after city, freeing detainees from government prisons became a priority. On Saturday, the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) claimed it had freed more than 3,500 prisoners from Homs Military Prison after capturing the city.
HTS, originally established in 2012 as the al-Nusra Front, was once affiliated with al-Qaeda. Although it later severed ties, many countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., continue to consider it a jihadist group. Despite its controversial past, HTS has emerged as a significant force in the recent rebel offensive.
As HTS and other rebel factions entered the Syrian capital on Sunday, they declared an “end of the era of tyranny in the prison of Saydnaya.” This marked a symbolic victory over the Assad regime, whose network of prisons represented the darkest aspects of its rule.
Survivors Speak Out
The stories of those who survived Saydnaya reveal the unimaginable horrors endured by detainees. Omar al-Shogre, who was imprisoned as a teenager for three years, spoke about his experience.
“I know the pain, I know the loneliness, and I know the hopelessness you feel because the world let you suffer and did nothing about it,” he said. Al-Shogre recounted how he and his cousin were forced to torture each other under threat of execution.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights estimates that over 130,000 people have been detained in such conditions since 2011. For many, Saydnaya epitomizes the regime’s industrial-scale mechanisms of repression, torture, and death.
A Legacy of Fear and Oppression
The Assad regime’s prisons have long been instruments of fear, used to suppress dissent and intimidate the population. Even in neighboring Lebanon, where Syria wielded significant influence for years, the threat of being disappeared into a Syrian prison loomed large.
The hatred for the Assad dynasty, fueled by decades of oppression, has now culminated in a widespread rebellion that seeks to dismantle the structures of tyranny. As rebel factions liberated prisons across Syria, they offered a glimpse of hope to the thousands who had suffered in darkness.
The images of emaciated prisoners emerging into the light after years of torment will remain etched in history as a defining moment in the downfall of the Assad regime. These scenes, filled with both anguish and relief, underscore the resilience of the Syrian people in their pursuit of freedom and justice.
The liberation of Saydnaya prison and other detention centers marks a turning point in Syria’s tumultuous history. It serves as both a condemnation of the Assad regime’s brutality and a testament to the strength of those who survived its oppression.
As Syrians work to rebuild their nation, the stories of Saydnaya’s victims stand as a stark reminder of the importance of justice, accountability, and the enduring fight for human rights.
