Syria’s White Helmets end search for secret cells at infamous Saydnaya prison
The White Helmets, Syria’s renowned rescue group, announced the conclusion of their search for hidden cells or detainees at the notorious Saydnaya military prison. The operation, which involved K9 units and experts familiar with the facility, did not uncover any concealed areas or detainees.
Crowds gathered outside the prison during the search, hoping for news about missing loved ones. “No unopened or hidden areas were found within the facility,” the White Helmets said in a statement.
This development coincides with reports from rebel forces who discovered nearly 40 bodies bearing signs of torture in a Damascus hospital mortuary.
The head of the militant group responsible for overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, vowed accountability for senior officials involved in torturing political prisoners during Syria’s 13-year civil war. Jolani promised to release the names of those responsible and pursue their extradition while offering rewards for information about their whereabouts.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that nearly 60,000 people were tortured and killed in Assad regime prisons. Human rights organisations state that over 100,000 individuals have disappeared since Assad’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests began in 2011.
Saydnaya prison, often described as a “death camp,” has been a grim symbol of the regime’s brutality. A 2022 report by the Association of Detainees and the Missing in Sednaya Prison (ADMSP) revealed that over 30,000 detainees died between 2011 and 2018 due to executions, torture, starvation, or lack of medical care. At least 500 more were executed between 2018 and 2021, according to former inmates.
