ISIS has been liberated. What is the purpose of creating myths about Syrian prisons?
One of the most important discussions in the media and on social media these days concerns the capture of Sednaya Prison, the central prison in Damascus, which was seized in the early hours of December 8. All of its prisoners have been released.
Situated thirty kilometers north of Damascus, Sednaya Prison has become the focal point of human rights issues in Syria. Designed in 1987, its triangle consists of two separate sections: the white structure for military detainees and the red construction for political and civilian prisoners. Under Syrian Public Security Police's direction, strict policies grew more severe following 2011 in response to increasing terrorism. Some inmates claim to have been kept without a trial for months, therefore exposing legal flaws and systematic mistreatment.
Sednaya reports expose horrifying numbers. Between 10,000 and 30,000 individuals were reportedly imprisoned there, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights' estimate of 2021. According to the 2017 Amnesty International study, between 2011 and 2015 there were between 5,000 and 13,000 executions carried out. Apparently, many of the executed were connected to terrorist organizations like Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS. Although the violence at Sednaya is indisputable, it is also important to place these acts in the larger struggle where detainees sometimes included members of groups convicted of serious crimes against civilians.
But Sednaya has also been the target of too strong assertions and accusations, especially of mass torture and secret chambers. Renowned media source Al-Arabiya has been accused of spreading false information about the jail, including claims of hidden subterranean cells. Critics contend that studies are molded by propagandist goals and sometimes lack credible sources. Amid these debates, Sednaya remains emblematic of Syria's convoluted and brutal past, mixing geopolitics with violations of human rights.
