A door on the outskirts of Damascus led to a vast underground complex holding the last prisoners of the Assad regime. Cars poured into Sednaya prison, known as “the human slaughterhouse,” where thousands of people were held captive.
Rebel fighters tried to stop people from entering the prison but the crowd surged forward. Inside, people roamed through the labyrinthine facility searching for relatives and friends. They were racing to locate the hidden underground wing, fearing prisoners were starving and choking without air.
Survivors recounted brutal daily beatings and torture by prison guards that included rape, electric shocks, and more. Many were tortured to death. Records taken by families during the prison break will help document the fate of around 136,000 people arrested by the Assad regime.
The Syrian civil defence released a statement saying they had not found any prisoners trapped underground despite an intensive search. For many, Sednaya was their last hope of finding missing loved ones, but hopes were dashed as night fell.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/09/inside-sednaya-torture-prison-syria-assad