Syrians search notorious Saydnaya prison for their loved ones

Описание: (10 Dec 2024)
FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4539483

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Northern Damascus, Syria - 9 December 2024
1. People chanting, UPSOUND (Arabic) "We need the director of the prison, we need the director of your prison!"
2. Various of men trying to hammer through wall

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Homs, Syria - 8 December 2024
3. Fighters firing in the sky in celebration
4. Insurgents convoy

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Damascus, Syria - 8 December 2024
5. STILL of opposition fighter celebrating as they burn down a military court

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Northern Damascus, Syria - 9 December 2024
6. White Helmets civil defense group digging holes
7. People looking through hole to see if they can get through to someone
8. Aerial of Saydnaya military prison
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ghazwan Hussein, relative of prisoners:
++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED++
"We came here but we didn't find any detainees. We went inside and found refrigerators, burners, crushers, iron. They would press them and put them in the burners. There are gallows and corrosive acid. Detainees have come out after having been sprayed with bleach."
10. Various of people inside prison
11. Various exteriors of prison
12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Loay al-Shambari, relative of prisoners:
++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED++
"They are all gangsters (officers working in the prison). They are all gangsters and they will be held accountable. And all the names here (in the documents), even if they fled to China, we will find them. They must be held accountable, because now we have their names and proof (of their crimes)."
13. Various of prison documents
14. Various of people looking in the dark through records of loved ones

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Damascus, Syria - 8 December 2024
15. Tilt up from broken poster of Assad and palace entrance

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Northern Damascus, Syria - 9 December 2024
16. Various of people looking through records
STORYLINE:
UPSOUND (Arabic) "We need the director of the prison"

ANGRY SCENES COULD BE SEEN OUTSIDE THE INFAMOUS SAYDNAYA MILITARY PRISON IN THE SYRIAN CAPITAL AS THOUSANDS DEMANDED TO KNOW THE WHEREABOUTS OF THEIR LOVED ONES.

AS INSURGENTS SWEPT ACROSS SYRIA TO BRING AN END TO THE ASSAD FAMILY’S 50-YEAR RULE, THEY BROKE INTO PRISONS AND SECURITY FACILITIES TO FREE POLITICAL PRISONERS.

CIVIL DEFENSE WORKERS DUG HOLES IN SEARCH OF HIDDEN CELLS AND UNDERGROUND CHAMBERS.

THE PRISON, KNOWN AS THE "HUMAN SLAUGHTERHOUSE," IS ONE THAT HAS HORRIFIED THE SYRIAN PEOPLE.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ghazwan Hussein, relative of prisoners:
"We came here but we didn't find any detainees. We went inside and found refrigerators, burners, crushers, iron. They would press them and put them in the burners. There are gallows and corrosive acid. Detainees have come out after having been sprayed with bleach, they burned them."

SYRIA’S PRISONS HAVE BEEN INFAMOUS FOR THEIR HARSH CONDITIONS.

TORTURE IS SYSTEMATIC, SAY HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS, WHISTLEBLOWERS, AND FORMER DETAINEES.

ACCORDING TO AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, DOZENS OF PEOPLE WERE SECRETLY EXECUTED EVERY WEEK AT SAYDNAYA.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Loay al-Shambari, relative of prisoners:
"They are all gangsters (officers working in the prison). They are all gangsters and they will be held accountable. And all the names here (in the documents), even if they fled to China, we will find them."

NOW, WHILE PRISON OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS HAVE ESCAPED, THE WHEREABOUTS OF MANY IMPRISONED FAMILY MEMBERS DETAINED IS UNKNOWN.


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