Inside Syria's 'human slaughterhouses', where thousands were starved, tortured

As the regime of Bashar al-Assad crumbled, a harrowing glimpse into the horrors of Syria’s notorious prison system emerged.

The fall of Assad’s government marked the liberation of tens of thousands of detainees held in brutal detention facilities across the country.

This seismic event revealed the extent of atrocities committed in these prisons, including torture, starvation, and mass executions, which had long been condemned by international human rights organisations.

Following an eight-day insurgent campaign that swept across Syria, families reunited with loved ones who had vanished into the regime’s detention system.

Videos circulated online showed newly freed prisoners flooding the streets of Damascus, many raising their fingers to indicate the number of years they had spent behind bars.

More from Explainers

How ChatGPT is becoming everyone’s BFF and why that’s dangerous This Week in Explainers: How recovering from Gen-Z protests is a Himalayan task for Nepal

🔴The secret door of the Red Prison in #Saydnaya, three floors underground, was opened and more than 30,000 prisoners were taken out on the first floor alone. There are still thousands of people on the floors, and work is underway to open the second floor.#Syria pic.twitter.com/iFnResjPFg

— Ülküm Gözde Gündoğdu (@Ulkumgozde) December 8, 2024

One prisoner, overwhelmed with disbelief, asked passersby what had happened. The response, “We toppled the regime,” was met with tears of joy and laughter.

At Sednaya prison, known as Syria’s “human slaughterhouse,” rebels broke down gates and cell doors, freeing detainees who had endured unimaginable suffering. In one video, a rebel reassured prisoners with the words, “He [Assad] has fallen. Don’t be scared.”

Among those freed were women and children who had been held in cramped, unsanitary cells. A toddler was seen walking down the corridor, held captive alongside his mother.

This is a heartbreaking video.

For years, we’ve heard about women prisoners in Syria being raped, giving birth in prison, and their children being imprisoned along with their mothers.

As rebels open the prison doors to release prisoners, you can see a little boy in an… pic.twitter.com/hU2K4OXuNX

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) December 8, 2024

One of the freed prisoners, 63-year-old writer Bashar Barhoum, shared his story with the Associated Press. “I haven’t seen the sun until today,” he said after seven months of imprisonment. He revealed that he had been scheduled for execution on the day of his release. “Instead of being dead tomorrow, thank God, He gave me a new lease of life.”

Torture & death inside Syria’s prisons

The atrocities committed in Syria’s detention facilities have been extensively documented. Human rights groups have described systematic torture, sexual violence, and starvation as routine practices.

The most notorious facility, Sednaya, became synonymous with mass executions. Amnesty International reported that between 2011 and 2016, up to 13,000 detainees were secretly executed there. Survivors recounted being forced to watch or participate in the torture of fellow inmates.

🔴The images coming from Saydnaya Prison - Syria's Guantanamo - are blood-curdling.
◾️After 10 years, we witness the eyes of a prisoner who sees the light.
📌Note: #Saydnaya Prison, which was also reported by Amnesty International, executed 13,000 prisoners, mostly civilian… https://t.co/q8dlp4L2TF pic.twitter.com/TsyAMsO6Fw

— Ülküm Gözde Gündoğdu (@Ulkumgozde) December 8, 2024

In 2013, a defector codenamed Caesar smuggled over 53,000 photographs out of Syria, exposing the scale of torture and death. These images showed emaciated bodies, clear evidence of starvation, and signs of brutal mistreatment.

For many families, these photographs were the first confirmation of the deaths of their loved ones, who had disappeared years earlier.

Omar al-Shogre, a survivor of Sednaya, recalled his three-year ordeal to BBC. “They forced my cousin, whom I loved so much, to torture me, and they forced me to torture him. Otherwise, we would both be executed,” he said. His testimony highlights the depths of psychological and physical torment inflicted on detainees.

The search for hidden cells

Despite the liberation of major prisons, reports suggest that many detainees remain trapped in hidden underground cells. The White Helmets, Syria’s civil defence force, launched a mission to access these concealed chambers.

Equipped with search-and-rescue teams, wall-breaching specialists, and medical responders, they are working to uncover the remaining horrors.

The White Helmets has deployed 5 specialized emergency teams to Sednaya Prison to investigate hidden underground cells, reportedly holding detainees according to survivors. The teams consist of search and rescue units, wall-breaching specialists, iron door-opening crews, trained…

— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) December 8, 2024

In Sednaya, efforts to breach electronic doors and access lower levels have revealed a chilling possibility: more than 100,000 detainees may still be held in these subterranean cells.

Surveillance footage from inside the prison showed detainees struggling to breathe in poorly ventilated conditions. Videos shared on social media depicted rescuers hammering through walls to reach hidden spaces, exposing the dark reality of Assad’s prison network.

What this means for Syrians

Under the Assad regime, even minor acts of opposition could result in imprisonment. Families of detainees often received no information about their loved ones, living in anguish for years.

The liberation of these prisons has brought both relief and pain. While many families have been reunited, countless others continue to search for missing relatives. “This happiness will not be complete until I see my son out of prison and know where he is,” Bassam Masri, who has been searching for his son detained since 2011, told AP.

please look at their faces. Imagine the horror they saw

A group of detainees leave the red section of #SednayaPrison Military after a passage was opened to the lower floors of the prison. #Syria pic.twitter.com/lYjfzwIv9W

— Qusay Noor (@QUSAY_NOOR_) December 8, 2024

Another woman, Heba, has spent years searching for her brother and brother-in-law, who disappeared after reporting a stolen car.

The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime has ended decades of repression but has left Syria grappling with the aftermath of its brutal legacy.

Rebel factions, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), played a key role in the insurgency, freeing thousands of prisoners as they advanced through cities like Aleppo, Homs, and Hama. HTS, once affiliated with al-Qaeda, declared the end of “the era of tyranny” in Sednaya.

Also Watch:

With inputs from agencies