Thousands of Syrians, many of whom jailed in pro-regime detention centres, were freed by opposition rebels as the Assad regime has now come to an end.
The New Arab Staff
08 December, 2024
Prisons across Syria held scores of opposition activities, rebels and political prisoners for decade under the Assad regime [Getty/file photo]
Following the collapse of the Assad regime on Sunday after opposition rebels seized Damascus, scores of those imprisoned under the regime are now tasting freedom for the first time in years, if not decades.
Arabic-language media and social media has been flooded with clips of those imprisoned under the Assad regime being freed from prisons in several parts of the country.
Warning: Some clips included in this article may be distressing.
Several videos showed rebels freeing hundreds of detainees jailed at the notorious Sednaya Prison, located in Rif Dimashq.
The prison, known as the 'human slaughterhouse', was where thousands of anti-regime rebels and political prisoners were subjected multiple forms of abuse, torture and mass executions.
One video in particular showed overjoyed prisoners being freed from the overcrowded prison, chanting for freedom and "God is the Greatest".
One man can be heard chanting to the now-former prisoners: "You are now free, congratulations".
In another viral clip, women and children imprisoned in the notorious facility can be seen in shock after being told that they are now free, following the collapse of the regime.
Initially, the female prisoners were visibly frightened as the opposition rebels were opening up prison cell doors.
"Don’t be scared I’m going to open the lock, come out", one opposition member can be heard saying as opened up the doors.
In an attempt to calm them down, the fighter said to them: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we are revolutionaries... Go out and go wherever you want."
Soon after, the women can be seen screaming in joy and hugging each other.
In one harrowing moment, a small child can be seen emerging from the cell. Al Jazeera Arabic, citing human rights organisations, said the child was born in prison and had never seen the outside world.
Other clips showed more prisoners taking to the streets and celebrating their freedom.
One freed detainee said that he was imprisoned for 10 years, while another innocently asked "what happened?", with an opposition rebel replying with "the regime has fallen", prompting the former prisoner to joyfully laugh at the news.
In another video, one prisoner can be seen reuniting with his family in an emotional moment in Hama.
A shocking clip shared to social media shows one group who said they were hours away from being executed before they were released from a prison in Rif Dimashq.
Ragheed al-Tatari, a Syrian pilot who refused to bomb the city of Hama during the 1980s campaign under Hafez al-Assad, was among the prisoners freed by the opposition advance. Tatari had spent more than four decades behind bars , and never underwent a trial.
He was arrested after refusing to comply with military orders, and was transferred across several jails including Sednaya, Suweida as well as Tartous Central Prison, from where he was released.
A previous statement by the Syrian Network for Human Rights estimated that the number of detainees in Syrian prisons from March 2011 until August 2024 amounted to 136,614 people, including 3,698 children and 8,504 women who are still under arrest or forcibly disappeared.
On 27 November, Syrian rebels led by the hardline Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group seized large areas of Syria, including the key cities of Aleppo, Hama and Homs, before reaching Damascus early on Sunday. The capture of the capital city ended the decades-long rule of the Assad regime, whose leader Bashar has reportedly fled the country. His exact whereabouts remain unknown.
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