Tens of thousands of Syrians flocked to Saydnaya Prison, a site infamous for its brutal history under former President Bashar Assad, after Damascus fell into the hands of insurgents.
The notorious prison, often referred to as “the slaughterhouse,” became the focal point for desperate families seeking answers about loved ones who vanished during Assad’s regime.
For two days, families searched the sprawling facility, hoping to find detainees who had disappeared over the years. Heavy iron doors were opened, floors were hammered, and walls were drilled, but the cells were empty.
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Insurgents had freed dozens of prisoners when they captured Saydnaya on Sunday, but since then, no additional inmates have been located.
“Where is everyone? Where are our children?” cried Ghada Assad, whose brother was detained in 2011 during the early days of protests against Assad’s rule. For 13 years, she had searched for him, holding on to hope. The swift rebel offensive that led to the fall of Damascus had revived her dreams of his freedom, but they were crushed when she found no trace of him in the prison.
Saydnaya, situated outside the capital, is a grim symbol of the Assad regime’s oppressive rule. During the years of conflict, even minor dissent could land someone in its cells, where few ever emerged.
Amnesty International estimated in 2017 that 10,000 to 20,000 people were held there, with many subjected to systematic torture and execution. Testimonies from former prisoners and officials described mass killings, constant abuse and appalling conditions.
Khairiya Ismail, 54, knows the pain firsthand. Two of her sons were detained early in the uprising, and she herself was imprisoned for eight months, accused of helping one evade military service.
“Every home in Syria has lost someone,” she lamented, reflecting on the scale of suffering tied to Assad’s prison network.
Since 2011, around 150,000 people have been detained or disappeared in Syria, many presumed to have passed through Saydnaya. Families clung to any sliver of hope that their loved ones might still be alive, combing through documents and scouring the prison for secret chambers.
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White Helmet teams, known for their search and rescue efforts in rebel-held areas, joined the search. Using prison floor plans and even bringing in the facility’s former electrician, they explored every vent, shaft, and potential hiding place.
Canine teams were also deployed, but after exhaustive efforts, no hidden chambers or additional detainees were found.
Ghayath Abu al-Dahab, a White Helmets spokesman, said the civil defense teams had records indicating that 3,500 people were held in Saydnaya as recently as three months ago. However, the number may have dwindled as the regime moved prisoners to other locations.
“The regime turned all of Syria into a giant prison,” Abu al-Dahab said, adding that detainees were often held in various government and military facilities across the country.
Despite the absence of new discoveries, the search persisted. Men with sledgehammers dismantled columns, believing they concealed hidden rooms, while others excavated basements and sewage openings. Each time hopes rose, they were dashed by the grim reality: Saydnaya appeared largely abandoned.
Firas al-Halabi, one of the few prisoners freed when insurgents stormed the prison, recounted the horrors he endured. A former army conscript, he spent four years in a cramped cell, surviving on scraps of food and enduring relentless torture. “Life was one big violation,” he said, describing beatings for trivial infractions and the terror of executions.
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Al-Halabi recalled guards calling out hundreds of names for executions in his first year. For him, freedom felt surreal. “We never thought we’d see this moment,” he said, still in disbelief.
Meanwhile, families like Noha Qweidar’s continued searching, driven by faint hope. Her husband was reportedly executed in 2015, but rumors and uncertainty left her clinging to the possibility he might still be alive.
By late Monday, the White Helmets concluded their search, announcing they found no additional hidden areas in the prison. Their statement expressed solidarity with the families of the missing, acknowledging the profound heartbreak of not knowing their loved ones’ fates.
For many Syrians, Saydnaya remains a haunting reminder of a brutal regime and the enduring agony of unanswered questions.
Source: With inputs from wires