Horror Stories of Assad's Prisons: Former Guard Recalls Brutality

syria - Former inmates of Sednaya prison share chilling accounts of torture and abuse under the Assad regime's rule.

In the aftermath of President Bashar al-Assad's fall, stories of horror from Sednaya prison are coming to light. The prison, known as 'the human slaughterhouse', was a site of unimaginable cruelty.

At its peak, Amnesty International estimates that around 20,000 prisoners were held at Sednaya. Former inmates have described being held in dark, freezing cells, where blankets and clothes were confiscated for speaking without permission.

Survivors recounted being forced to endure brutal forms of torture, including electrocution, burnings, head crushing, and forced animal-like behavior. The atrocities committed inside Assad's prisons have shocked the world.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights documented 72 forms of torture in Assad's regime prisons, including inserting needles and metal pins into bodies and using iron presses to break bones.

Since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, over 230,000 Syrians have lost their lives, with more than 15,000 deaths attributed to torture. The conflict has displaced millions and led to a massive refugee crisis, with many seeking safety in Europe.