'Disappeared' Syrians Re-Emerge, Some for First Time in Years

Rebels are freeing prisoners after downfall of Syrian president
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 9, 2024 5:03 AM CST
'Disappeared' Syrians Re-Emerge as Rebels Free Prisoners
Smoke billows as people arrive to celebrate the fall of the Syrian government, in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.   (Ugur Yildirim/Dia Photo via AP)

Bashar Barhoum woke in his dungeon prison cell in Damascus at dawn Sunday, thinking it would be the last day of his life. The 63-year-old writer was supposed to have been executed after being imprisoned for seven months. But he soon realized the men at the door weren't from former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad 's notorious security forces, ready to take him to his death. Instead, they were rebels coming to set him free. As the insurgents swept across Syria in just 10 days to bring an end to the Assad family's 54-year rule, they broke into prisons and security facilities to free political prisoners and many of the tens of thousands of people who have disappeared since the conflict began back in 2011, the AP reports. Barhoum was one of those freed who were celebrating in Damascus.

Videos shared widely across social media showed dozens of prisoners running in celebration after the insurgents released them, some barefoot and others wearing little clothing. Syria's prisons have been infamous for their harsh conditions. Torture is systematic, say human rights groups, whistleblowers, and former detainees. Secret executions have been reported at more than two dozen facilities run by Syrian intelligence, as well as at other sites. Disease and starvation are common. Just north of Damascus in the Saydnaya military prison, known as the "human slaughterhouse," women detainees, some with their children, screamed as men broke the locks off their cell doors. Tens of thousands of detainees have so far been freed, according to a monitor, and families were hoping to reunite with loved ones missing for years. (See more at the AP.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X