DAMASCUS: Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the takeover of Damascus by rebels, horrifying accounts from newly freed prisoners have surfaced. Thousands of prisoners, liberated after the rebel victory, are now sharing their grim experiences from years of captivity under Assad’s rule.
According to an Al Jazeera report, the prisoners—freed as opposition forces seized control of Damascus and other Syrian regions—have started revealing the harrowing conditions they endured. One viral video circulating on social media shows a former detainee recounting his experience. “I had no name, just a number,” he says. “The regime took me and my family believed I was dead.”
Another released prisoner spoke about how many others were detained without their families’ knowledge, spending years in prisons, presumed to be dead. Some of the freed prisoners shared that they were supposed to be executed just hours before their release. One man said, “Fifty-four of us were set to be executed thirty minutes ago, but now we stand free in the heart of Damascus.”
A notable case includes Ali Hassan, who was freed after 39 years in prison. Hassan was arrested in 1986 at a checkpoint in northern Lebanon when he was just 18, a university student. After his arrest, his family had no information on his whereabouts until his sudden release.
Meanwhile, Syrian officials have appealed on social media for jail staff and personnel to help uncover the underground cells where an estimated 100,000 prisoners remain. These prisoners can reportedly be seen on CCTV footage, with hopes that their liberation will soon follow.
The stories of freed prisoners highlight the brutal conditions under Assad’s government and underscore the ongoing challenges in Syria’s post-Assad era.
