
Inside 'human slaughter house' prisons with 40-degree heat and executions
Thousands suffered or disappeared after being incarcerated in Bashar Al-Assad's infamous "human slaughterhouse" prisons before his oppressive regime in Syria was overthrown.
The daily horror for those trapped in Assad's most notorious detention centre included execution parties, scattered corpses and brutalised guards who took pleasure in their cruelty, resulting in the death of an estimated 13,000 people.
Inmates were subjected to savage conditions, crammed so tightly together that they would descend into madness due to oxygen deprivation, while being fed like beasts from pails.
At the notorious Saydnaya Prison, one guard, Hussam, confessed to BBC Two's documentary Surviving Syria's Prisons: "When the prisoners heard my name, they would tremble. I beat them with all my strength. I showed them no mercy at all."
Following the fall of Assad's regime in 2024, people uncovered rooms filled with documents and photographs of detainees, some burnt in a vain effort to hide the heinous acts perpetrated there. Heartbreaking footage reveals families frantically searching through the debris for clues of their lost loved ones, the Express reports.
After seizing control in 2000, Assad ruled Syria with a bloodstained iron fist, his prisons a cornerstone of the terror underpinning his two-decade-long dictatorship.
The Arab Spring in 2011 sparked hopes for better human rights with protests in Tunisia, but they were ruthlessly extinguished in Damascus, dragging Syria into a devastating civil conflict.
Thousands were locked up, including Shadi, vanishing into secret cells where they endured horrific torture until confessions were wrung out of them, often completely fabricated.
On the second occasion, Shadi and his brother were seized and dragged to the notorious Air Force Intelligence branch in Harasta.
At this hellish facility, the then second-in-command, Colonel Zain, chillingly revealed: "The place I worked in was very famous for its bloody practices and the number of detainees held there. We would pack 400 detainees in a room that was eight by ten metres.
"You wouldn't set eyes on the floor when you entered; bodies of detainees blanketed it. The screams emanating from the interrogation room situated directly below my office were no secret. It was common knowledge how we conducted our interrogations.
The temperature was around 40 degrees, because it was so crowded. We saw strange cases of disease amongst prisoners, I think, due to oxygen deficiency because of overcrowding. These psychotic episodes soon turned into physical symptoms."
Inmates faced a bleak changing room where they were stripped before being consigned to solitary confinement for extended periods.
Shadi, leaning against the wall, recounted the excruciating hours spent in torturous stances. "They'd bring a cable and suspend us like this. This is the 'Ghost Method'. They'd pull us up and we'd be on our toes - you'd last 30 minutes then you'd pass out."
He revealed that he and his brother were shackled and subjected to brutal torture via ceiling pipes, saying, "We were taken there and hung by our handcuffs from the pipes. It was unbearable - for almost 72 hours, three days, in the same position, without food or drink."
Hadi, recounting their ordeal, said, "We were tortured for hours, and stopped keeping track of time," and noted that any show of pain only intensified the punishment: "If someone cried during a beating, the beating would get worse."
Amnesty International has reported that an estimated 13,000 prisoners may have been executed in the civil war's initial four years alone.
Hussam, once a military policeman, admitted, "Our superiors would say, 'Torture them, don't let them sleep at night. Throw them a party... put them in a grave if you want to, bury them alive'.
"When they'd call me to go and torture them, the prisoners would go back to their cells bloody and exhausted. On Wednesday mornings, we'd have an 'execution party'. Our role during executions was to place the rope on the prisoner - only an officer could push the chair."
The final words of one victim continued to haunt Hussam: "One time, the chair was pushed, but after 22 minutes he didn't die. So I grabbed him and pulled him downwards, so another guard who was bigger and stronger said, 'go I will do it.' Before he died he said one thing: 'I'm going to tell God what you did'."
Kamal, an army nurse, described the horrific condition of the victims: "Most of the bodies suffered acute weight loss, resembling a skeleton." Elaborated on the widespread neglect and evidence of torture, the medic said: "Most of them suffered from skin lesions and rashes due to lack of hygiene - and most of them had torture marks."
He revealed the cover-up within the system: "It was forbidden to record the cause of death as torture. Even those killed from gunshots were recorded as heart and respiratory failure."
Mass graves became the dark answer to the overwhelming number of corpses, with at least 130 burial sites discovered across Syria, casting a bleak outlook on identifying the countless victims discarded within them.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Record
17 hours ago
- Daily Record
Brutal murder of girl, 2, over father's debt as she has eyes gouged out and hands crushed
The world was left horrified when toddler Twinkle Sharma was brutally killed - and her mutilated body was discovered after being dragged from a rubbish bin by stray dogs The world was left appalled when Twinkle Sharma was savagely murdered at just two years of age. The tiny tot had endured horrific mistreatment, resulting in her brutal killing in Aligarh, India. Earlier this month a mum from Ohio was jailed for life for leaving her toddler home alone to die while she went on holiday. In a shocking act of vengeance, two-year-old Twinkle was tortured by two men named as Zahid and Aslam, who lived merely 500 metres from her family's home. The pair throttled the toddler to death, removed her eyes and crushed her hands after her father couldn't repay a debt. The debt is thought to have been worth 5,000 rupees, roughly equivalent to £42, and as their retribution for the unpaid sum, they claimed the little one's life. Whilst the evidence of such severe physical harm is obvious, it's suspected the child may have also suffered sexual assault. Twinkle Sharma had been reported as missing since May 31. Police then received a disturbing call - someone had witnessed stray dogs pulling a mutilated corpse from a refuse bin, reports the Express. The remains were subsequently confirmed as belonging to the two year old. The innocent youngster's mother, Shilpa said: "The stench of her body is still fresh in my nose. That image of her lying in a garbage heap, in that condition, haunts me. I do not think I can ever get it out of my head," The Print reports. The tragedy stunned the globe and Indians flocked to social media to express their fury. The hashtag #TwinkleSharma attracted more than 17,000 posts within 24 hours as citizens demanded tougher penalties for the culprits, CGTN reports. Bollywood star Ayushman Khurrana expressed his outrage, stating: "This is inhumane and barbaric; my prayers for her family. Justice must be served. #TwinkleSharma. Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh shared: ". Meanwhile, former Indian cricketing legend Harbhajan Singh shared his disgust: "Makes me sick and angry to read such news! ! The government and authorities must give the right punishment to such inhumane people who kill an innocent child. No outrage from the 'usual suspects' over the brutal murder of Twinkle Sharma in Aligarh." Another Bollywood heavyweight, Abhishek Bachchan, was left speechless by the news, sharing: "Just so disgusted and angered hearing about #twinklesharma. How can somebody even think of doing such a thing? Speechless.." The tragic death of Twinkle came on the heels of a series of other horrific child murders in India, sparking national outrage over perceived failures in justice. In 2013, following widespread public fury over the rape and murder of a student in Delhi, significant changes were made to the law. The Indian government announced the introduction of the death penalty for cases of rape resulting in death. Many in the country deem such measures necessary, as in 2016, a shocking 106 rapes per day were recorded in India - with minors making up four in every ten victims.


Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Horror murder of girl, 2, with eyes gouged out and hands crushed
Twinkle Sharma was just two years old when she was brutally murdered in Aligarh, India, in a sickening act of revenge after her father failed to repay a loan The world was left stunned when little Twinkle Sharma was savagely murdered at just two years of age. The tiny tot had endured horrific cruelty before her shocking death in Aligarh, India. Last week a mum in Mexico was accused of killing her own daughter by slamming her head against the wall because the young child had "hurt her feelings'. In Twinkle Sharma's death it was a sickening act of vengeance. The two-year-old was tortured by two men named Zahid and Aslam, who lived merely 500 metres from her family's home. The pair throttled the innocent child, removed her eyes and smashed her hands after her dad couldn't settle a debt. The outstanding amount is thought to have been 5,000 rupees - roughly £42 - and as payback for the unpaid sum, they claimed the youngster's life. Whilst evidence of such horrific physical torture is obvious, authorities suspect the infant may have also endured sexual assault. Twinkle Sharma had been reported as missing since May 31. Officers then received a chilling phone call - witnesses had spotted wild dogs pulling a mangled corpse from a refuse container, reports the Express. The remains were subsequently confirmed as those of the two year old. The defenceless girl's mum, Shilpa revealed: "The stench of her body is still fresh in my nose. That image of her lying in a garbage heap, in that condition, haunts me. I do not think I can ever get it out of my head," The Print reports. The tragedy appalled the planet and India's citizens flocked to social media platforms to express their fury. The hashtag #TwinkleSharma amassed more than 17,000 posts within 24 hours as Indians demanded tougher sentences for the culprits, CGTN reports. Bollywood actor Ayushman Khurrana wrote: "This is inhumane and barbaric; my prayers for her family. Justice must be served. #TwinkleSharma. Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh shared: "Makes me sick and angry to read such news!! "The govt and authorities must give the right punishment to such inhumane people who kill an innocent child. No outrage from the 'usual suspects' over the brutal murder of Twinkle Sharma in Aligarh." Another famous figure, Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, shared at the time: "Just so disgusted and angered hearing about #twinklesharma. How can somebody even think of doing such a thing? Speechless.." The news of Twinkle's death emerged following a string of other horrific child killings across India, where the nation felt justice had failed to prevail. In 2013, after public fury over the rape and murder of a student in Delhi, significant legislative reforms were implemented. The Indian government announced it would introduce capital punishment for rape cases that result in death. Such drastic measures are considered essential by many residents, as 106 rapes were reported daily across India in 2016 - with four out of every ten victims being children.


South Wales Guardian
20 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Syrian minister holds rare meeting with Israeli officials in Paris
The talks were brokered by the United States, which has been pushing for Syria and Israel to normalise relations, the report said. Foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani met Israeli officials on Tuesday to discuss de-escalating tensions and restoring a 1974 ceasefire agreement, the SANA news agency said. Syrian officials have acknowledged holding indirect talks with Israel to defuse tensions. There was no immediate confirmation of such a meeting from Israel. Tensions have soared between the two neighbouring countries following the overthrow of Syrian president Bashar Assad in December. Israeli forces seized control of a UN-patrolled buffer zone in Syria shortly after Mr Assad's overthrow and carried out airstrikes on military sites in what officials said was aimed at creating a demilitarised zone south of Damascus. Israel has said it will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves along the frontier, as Iranian-backed groups did during Mr Assad's rule. It distrusts Syria's new government, which is led by former Islamist insurgents. Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaida commander who severed ties with the militant group years ago, has pledged to build a new country that respects the rights of minorities, but sectarian violence has erupted on a number of occasions, raising concerns about the country's fragile transition. Israel stepped up its intervention when violence erupted in Syria's Sweida province last month between Bedouin clans and government forces on one side and armed groups from the Druze religious minority on the other. Israel said it was acting to protect the Druze, who are seen as a loyal minority in Israel and often serve in the military. Israel launched dozens of airstrikes on convoys of Syrian forces around Sweida and struck the headquarters of the Syrian ministry of defence in the heart of Damascus, Syria's capital. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed the strategic plateau in a move that has only been recognised by the US. The rest of the international community views the Golan as occupied Syrian territory.