• Human Rights

    Syria’s “Auschwitz”: prisoners freed from Sednaya

    European Newsdesk Posted on

    Syrian rescuers are actively searching Sednaya Prison near Damascus, notorious for its history of abuse under the rule of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, to locate and free detainees while uncovering evidence of atrocities.

    Raed al-Saleh, director of the Syria Civil Defence organization, known as the White Helmets, described the prison as a “hell” for those detained. Speaking to Al Jazeera, al-Saleh said, “Sednaya is not a prison—it’s a human slaughterhouse where individuals were systematically tortured and executed.”

    Rescuers have reported finding bodies in ovens and evidence of daily executions within the prison complex. Opposition fighters stormed the facility early Sunday during a rapid advance toward Damascus, freeing thousands of prisoners and signaling the collapse of Assad’s regime, ending his family’s 50-year rule.

    For critics of the Assad government, Sednaya has long symbolized the brutality of the Baathist regime. Its fall marks a turning point in Syria’s history. “We announce the end of the era of tyranny at Sednaya,” declared the Syrian opposition as they took control of the facility.

    Al-Saleh detailed the horrors uncovered at the prison, stating, “Executions were happening daily, and the ovens held the remains of countless victims.” Freed detainees shared harrowing stories of near-death experiences, with one former prisoner revealing he was scheduled for execution on the very day he was liberated.

    According to the White Helmets, between 50 and 100 people were executed daily at Sednaya, which primarily held political prisoners opposed to Assad’s rule. Many survivors are in critical health conditions, and tens of thousands remain unaccounted for. Al-Saleh emphasized that investigations are ongoing, not only at Sednaya but across other detention facilities in Syria, and urged anyone with knowledge of hidden prisons to come forward.

    Reports from human rights organizations have long documented the abuses at Sednaya. A 2017 Amnesty International report accused the Assad regime of crimes against humanity, citing “murder, torture, enforced disappearance, and extermination” as widespread practices since the Syrian war began in 2011. Human Rights Watch corroborated these findings in a 2014 report, based on testimony from former detainees.

    The White Helmets have successfully freed an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 prisoners from Sednaya, with videos shared by opposition activists showing women and children among those released. However, many areas of the prison remain unexplored, with accounts of hidden chambers and secret basements still emerging.

    Families of missing Syrians continue their desperate search, clinging to the hope of finding loved ones alive. Al-Saleh pledged financial rewards for information about other hidden prisons across Syria.

    The Syrian conflict, which began as a peaceful uprising against Assad in March 2011, escalated into a devastating war involving international powers. It has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions. The fall of Sednaya stands as both a symbol of past horrors and a potential beacon of hope for a country seeking to rebuild.

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