Rescuers have found the bodies of 30 civilians killed “under brutal torture” in Sednaya prison, located about XNUMX kilometers north of Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
According to this NGO, based in the United Kingdom but with a wide network of collaborators on the ground, rescuers continue their search for survivors in this prison.
Syrian Civil Defense forces, known as the White Helmets, arrived at the prison, which was run by the Syrian Military Police and known for using torture against thousands of inmates, on Monday to rescue detainees from possible hidden underground cells.
In a statement released early this morning, the group said it had carried out an “exhaustive search of all sections, facilities, basements, courtyards and surrounding areas of the prison” with the help of “people familiar” with the facility.
During the operation, which involved five teams of rescuers, “all entrances, exits, ventilation ducts, sewage systems, water pipes, electrical wiring and surveillance camera cables” of the prison were inspected, but “no evidence of secret cells or undiscovered basements was found.”
On Sunday, insurgents declared Damascus “free” and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow with his family as part of an insurgent offensive that began on November 27 and was led by the Levant Liberation Organization (Hayat Tahrir al Sham or HTS in Arabic), heir to the former Syrian affiliate of Al Qaeda.
With control of each city, the group opened the doors of prisons, where numerous political prisoners were held, as human rights organizations, including Sednaya, have been denouncing for years.
In this prison, which is believed to have held between 10.000 and 20.000 detainees, according to Amnesty International estimates, the use of torture and excessive force came to light following a prisoner riot in 2008.
Since the beginning of the crisis in Syria in 2011, the prison had become the final destination for both peaceful opponents of the authorities and military personnel suspected of opposing the regime. EFE
