Survivors of Syria’s infamous Sednaya prison confront their torturers

Syria released a video showing former guards of the notorious Sednaya prison in Damascus confronting some of their victims, underscoring its pledge to deliver justice after the ouster of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

The Interior Ministry footage, described by many Syrians as a “dialogue from the depths of hell,” features survivors recounting torture inside what Amnesty International previously called a “human slaughterhouse.”

Each victim described in detail the pain inflicted by prison guards who took pleasure in their suffering. Amnesty has said there is credible evidence that thousands were secretly executed in underground chambers at Sednaya.

-‘130 detainees executed’

Seydnaya guards confirmed the brutality. One said five jailers took turns torturing prisoners chained in iron shackles until death.

He added that some detainees were left in solitary confinement without food or water to prevent odors after death.

Another guard said he once saw 200 prisoners shackled at the same time.

A different guard admitted that he and his colleagues executed 130 prisoners. He also said he requested young women be brought to the prison to rape, and he personally assaulted nine before killing them.

Ahmed Mohimeed, a survivor facing his torturer, said he was arrested in 2019 and beaten by 12 soldiers, including his jailer, Maher Darwish. Mohimeed said some detainees, especially older ones, died from the abuse.

-‘Drinking jailer’s urine’

He recounted that Darwish forced prisoners to drink tea he had urinated in. Those who refused were whipped 400 times on the feet with an electric cable.

Another survivor, who had a leg amputated, confronted his former jailer and asked, “Do you remember me?”

He exposed scars on his torso as evidence of torture, recalling invasive searches, forced haircuts, and other cruel practices. He asked, “Do you remember what you used to beat me with?”

International human rights reports indicate that thousands were systematically killed in Sednaya, where mass executions were carried out in secret without trials.

Estimates suggest that the Assad regime had executed roughly 50 prisoners per week between 2011 and 2015.

To document these abuses, former detainees established the Syrian Revolution’s Detainees Association in February 2025 to expose torture and mistreatment at the infamous prison and advocate for victims’ rights.

After Assad fled and opposition factions took control of Syrian cities, prisons, detention centers, and security branches were opened, and detainees were freed. Tens of thousands remain missing, and the discovery of mass graves suggests many of the disappeared are dead.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia last December, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. A new transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in January.