Sednaya prison, ominously dubbed the “Death Factory” or “Human Slaughterhouse,” stands as a grim testament to the Assad regime’s systematic brutality.
Reports indicate that approximately 100,000 individuals have vanished into Assad’s prisons, where countless men, women, and children faced detention, torture, and death.
“Rights groups have documented that at least 10% of those detained perished in these prisons, although some estimates reach as high as 20%,” stated Joseph Braude, founder of the Center for Peace Communications, an NGO focusing on resolving identity-based conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, whose team gained unprecedented access to Sednaya. “This figure continues to rise as families search for missing loved ones.”
SYRIA’S LIBERATED POLITICAL PRISONS REVEAL GRIM REALITY OF BASHAR ASSAD’S REGIME OF TORTURE
Sednaya served as an instrument of oppression, crushing resistance and humanity. “The prison was situated on a hill overlooking Damascus,” Ahed Al Hendi, a former political prisoner and Syrian affairs analyst, told Digital. “Its presence was a constant reminder of the regime’s power, silencing even casual mention of its name.”
Al Hendi continued: “Friends who recently visited Sednaya described scenes of unimaginable horror: piles of bones, fresh bloodstains, a pervasive stench of death, and horrific torture devices. One recounted a mother clinging to a torture machine, believing her son had died there. The tools were beyond comprehension, including a massive metal press designed to pulverize bodies beyond recognition.”
As the atrocities at Sednaya become increasingly apparent, the focus has shifted to mass graves, with Braude’s team diligently collecting evidence. “We are documenting, interviewing witnesses, and employing specialized equipment to locate any potential underground prisons.” He reported recent work at a mass grave site “where we estimate 100,000 people were buried.”
“Some of those in these mass graves perished in Sednaya under torture,” Al Hendi added. “Many bodies exhibit gunshot wounds, disposed of in a large area where the regime placed military equipment to simulate a restricted military zone. Locals witnessed refrigerated trucks entering the area, guarded by security forces blocking the roads for hours before departing, becoming accustomed to the smell of death.”
Sednaya epitomized the regime’s relentless repression. “It wasn’t just political opponents,” stated Al Hendi, arrested for founding a secular anti-regime student organization. “Women and children were held hostage to pressure their fathers or husbands. We found children born from rapes committed by prison guards. Entire families were destroyed.”
Conditions within Sednaya were inhuman; prisoners endured starvation, beatings, and electric shocks. “Before executions, prisoners were starved for three days. The guards would say, ‘Why feed him? We will take the food for ourselves.’ Imagine facing death while denied even a final meal,” Al Hendi recounted.
The horrors of Sednaya represent a wider campaign by the Assad regime to annihilate its opposition. Braude and Al Hendi underscore the need for accountability. “We need truth and reconciliation,” Braude stated. “Syria’s healing requires acknowledging the suffering and the full extent of these atrocities. Failure to do so risks perpetuating cycles of vengeance.”
Following the recent fall of the Assad regime, Sednaya’s liberation freed thousands of prisoners. “The released prisoners were traumatized, many unable to recall their names,” Al Hendi observed. “Their prolonged detention left them unaware that Assad’s father had passed away; they believed Assad was still in power.”
Robert Petit, Head of the International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism for Syria (IIIM), visited Damascus and documented the regime’s atrocities, describing their “chilling efficiency” in a press release. He stressed the urgent need to preserve this evidence, warning, “Time is running out. We have a limited window to secure these sites and the materials within. Each passing day risks losing the chance for full accountability.”
The investigations into Sednaya and the mass graves reveal the regime’s brutality and call for justice, Braude emphasized. “The Assad regime’s atrocities have profound consequences. The crucial question now is how the population can move forward, avoiding further conflict. While fears of vengeance exist, true reconciliation necessitates truth and acknowledgment.”
He noted that “99% of Syria’s prison guards are from the Alawi community.” “This encompasses half of the Alawi sect’s young population, as most serve in the army or secret police. The rebels propose a solution: the prosecution of Assad and 100 top officials responsible for the atrocities, granting amnesty to lower-ranking perpetrators who followed orders. Russian facilitation of this could prevent further violence and stabilize Syria.”