Syria
A Syrian man inspects the rooms the prison of Sednaya, north of Damascus on December 16, 2024. Photo: Sameer al-Doumy/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurd recently freed from the notorious Sednaya prison in the outskirts of Damascus sustained a fractured skull and significant memory loss during his time behind bars as a result of torture by Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Bashar Ahmadi was detained by security forces while carrying out his mandatory military service under the Assad regime for failing to arrive at the military base he was assigned to at the time in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province.
“Due to the torture, his skull is fractured and missing a part [of his skull] and he has lost the ability to speak. He is unable to walk and his hands are shaking,” Saad Abdulrahim, his cousin, told Rudaw.
Ahmadi is in critical condition due to years of torture in Sednaya, and dire conditions in the facility have caused him myiasis in the wounds.
Many freed prisoners have been admitted to hospital, with the majority of them suffering from trauma, losing the ability to speak, and being unable to recognize their loved ones.
His cousin said that Ahmadi was unable to return to the military base in Deir ez-Zor on time due to the Syrian civil war. He was arrested by security forces and released after 20 days.
Upon his return to the military base, “military officials told him that his evidence was fake and tortured him,” according to Abdulrahman, who added that the military commander electrocuted Ahmadi’s skull.
Sednaya prison, dubbed a "human slaughterhouse," was a military prison and death camp north of Damascus. It was constructed in 1986, on the orders of then-Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.
The prison has been used to hold thousands of prisoners, both civilians and anti-government rebels, as well as political prisoners.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated in January 2021 that 30,000 detainees were killed by the Assad regime in Sednaya by torture, ill-treatment, and mass executions since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.
Following the fall of the Syrian regime, tens of thousands of prisoners were freed from Sednaya and other prisons across the country. The remains of thousands of others killed by torture or hanging are yet to be identified.
Shahyan Tahseen contributed to this report.
Bashar Ahmadi was detained by security forces while carrying out his mandatory military service under the Assad regime for failing to arrive at the military base he was assigned to at the time in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province.
“Due to the torture, his skull is fractured and missing a part [of his skull] and he has lost the ability to speak. He is unable to walk and his hands are shaking,” Saad Abdulrahim, his cousin, told Rudaw.
Ahmadi is in critical condition due to years of torture in Sednaya, and dire conditions in the facility have caused him myiasis in the wounds.
Many freed prisoners have been admitted to hospital, with the majority of them suffering from trauma, losing the ability to speak, and being unable to recognize their loved ones.
His cousin said that Ahmadi was unable to return to the military base in Deir ez-Zor on time due to the Syrian civil war. He was arrested by security forces and released after 20 days.
Upon his return to the military base, “military officials told him that his evidence was fake and tortured him,” according to Abdulrahman, who added that the military commander electrocuted Ahmadi’s skull.
Sednaya prison, dubbed a "human slaughterhouse," was a military prison and death camp north of Damascus. It was constructed in 1986, on the orders of then-Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.
The prison has been used to hold thousands of prisoners, both civilians and anti-government rebels, as well as political prisoners.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated in January 2021 that 30,000 detainees were killed by the Assad regime in Sednaya by torture, ill-treatment, and mass executions since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.
Following the fall of the Syrian regime, tens of thousands of prisoners were freed from Sednaya and other prisons across the country. The remains of thousands of others killed by torture or hanging are yet to be identified.
Shahyan Tahseen contributed to this report.
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