In brief
Four men freed from the infamous Saydnaya prison share harrowing tales of their imprisonment under the Assad regime. They describe the brutal torture, constant fear, and the moment they realized they were free, shedding light on the dark legacy of a facility often referred to as the "human slaughterhouse."
The prisoners fell silent when they heard the shouting outside their cell. A man's voice called inside, “Is there anyone in there?” Over the years, they had learned to associate the door being opened with beatings and punishment. Yet, this day was different; it echoed a promise of liberation.With the cry of “Allahu Akbar,” the men peered through a small opening in the heavy metal door only to spot rebels, not guards, in the corridor. “We are here. Free us,” pleaded Qasem Sobhi Al-Qabalani, a 30-year-old inmate. When the door burst open, Qasem ran barefoot into the corridor, driven by an instinctual fear of being captured again.They did not yet comprehend that President Bashar al-Assad had fled, marking a crucial moment in Syria’s tumultuous history. Adnan Ahmed Ghnem, 31, shared that even amidst their fear, the feeling of elation was indescribable: “It was the best day of my life, like someone who had just escaped death.”These four men interviewed by the BBC are among the recently liberated from Saydnaya prison—an institution infamous for its brutality. Detailed accounts reveal the horrors they faced: prolonged torture, witnessing executions, and the pervasive corruption among officials. They spoke of fellow inmates' mysterious disappearances, fears fueled by the sound of names called at midnight, which foreshadowed death.Established in the early 1980s, Saydnaya has served as Syria's principal political prison since the uprising against Assad in 2011. Allegations against the facility, described as a “death camp,” have drawn attention from human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, which has consistently called for accountability for atrocities committed there.The prisoners shared the common sentiment of being detained for perceived threats against the regime, often enduring torture to extract forced confessions. One recalled his arrest while passing through a checkpoint; others faced similar fates for mere opposition to Assad’s rule. Conditions in the prison were harrowing—overcrowded cells with no proper sanitation, meager food rations, and fear of brutal punishment.Adnan described unbearable experiences, often subjected to water torture, with guards utmost brutality serving as daily reminders of their reduced humanity. Sexual assaults and physical violence were rampant, and inmates lived in constant dread of the next punishment, echoing a sentiment of survival by accepting the pain as part of life.Amid the chaos of their liberation, the initial disbelief quickly morphed into frantic running towards safety. Rakan Mohammed Al Saed recounted a moment where, despite being hit by a car, he chose not to stop running, fueled by the urgency of freedom. “I will never go back to Saydnaya again,” he affirmed.Once the dust settled and they emerged into the world beyond the suffocating walls, their first realization was of the regime's collapse. Qasem spoke of the overwhelming joy that washed over him when he learned Assad had fallen, treating the moment as a rebirth. “It’s like I am born again,” he said, reflecting on reunions with family filled with tears of joy amid celebratory gunfire, contrasting starkly with the prior nightmare of Saydnaya.As the testimonies of these men reveal, Saydnaya prison stands as a symbol of the grim realities faced under oppressive regimes, illustrating the desperate longing for freedom that countless others still endure. Their stories continue to echo as calls for justice resonate across the globe.
