Syria’s rescuers urge Russia to pressure Assad for secret prison maps
This picture shows empty sells at Saydnaya prison in Damascus, Syria, December 9, 2024. (AFP Photo)
Syria’s White Helmet rescuers on Tuesday called on Russia to pressure ousted regime leader Bashar al-Assad into providing maps of secret prisons and lists of detainees as they work urgently to free prisoners.
The White Helmets said in a statement that they “sent a request to the United Nations through an international mediator to demand that Russia pressure… Assad into handing over secret prisons maps and lists of detainees, so we can reach them as soon as possible.”
Since Syrian opposition group launched a swift offensive last month, seizing power and forcing Assad to flee, the rescuers have worked tirelessly to release thousands of detainees from the regime’s notorious prison system.
Assad’s regime has long faced accusations of human rights abuses, including torture, rape, and summary executions.
According to a 2022 estimate from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 100,000 people have died in Syrian prisons since the 2011 uprising that sparked the war, often from torture.
After Assad’s overthrow, thousands of people flocked to Sednaya prison — a grim symbol of some of the worst atrocities committed under his rule — hoping to find loved ones who disappeared into government jails.
The Britain-based war monitor also reported that about 30,000 people had been detained at Sednaya, where detainees endured some of the worst torture, with only 6,000 released.
Earlier Tuesday, the White Helmets said they were searching for “hidden underground cells.” They later announced the end of search operations at Sednaya without finding additional detainees.
Many families remain convinced that some prisoners are being kept in secret underground dungeons. Sednaya is believed to have several underground levels sealed behind airtight gates.
Most detainees who have not been released are officially considered missing, with their death certificates rarely reaching families unless exorbitant bribes are paid.
