Local groups, with the participation of families, managed to storm Sednaya Prison and free thousands of detainees. However, reports suggest that a large number of prisoners remain trapped in secret basements due to the intruders’ inability to access the doors leading to those areas.
Earlier on Sunday, social media accounts and news outlets reported the operation, confirming that thousands of detainees had been freed. The release reportedly included those held on the upper three floors of the prison. However, “thousands” of detainees are believed to be still trapped in the cells of the lower three floors, known as the “Red Prison,” a section notorious for torture and executions. This is due to the intruders’ failure to open the gates leading to these lower levels.
According to sources, families of the detainees have urgently appealed to international organizations to intervene and help, especially as the generators that supply air to these lower floors have broken down, and there is no longer an electrical supply. The lack of ventilation could lead to a humanitarian disaster if the situation is not addressed quickly.
These lower floors are “completely isolated from the upper floors and their entrances,” and can only be accessed through special mechanisms. These mechanisms are known either through precise prison blueprints or by regime officers who oversaw the area and were responsible for the torture and execution of prisoners, according to Amnesty International’s report, Sednaya Prison: Human Slaughterhouse.
“There are no detainees left inside Sednaya Prison”
To verify the situation inside Sednaya, Syria TV reached out to Diab Sarya, the founder of the Association of Detainees and Missing Persons of Sednaya Prison. Sarya, who has been closely following the developments, denied reports of any detainees still being held inside the prison.
Sarya explained that the association has been tracking the release of detainees from Saturday night to Sunday morning. He clarified that the section referenced in earlier reports is a single floor, not three. The final batch of detainees, numbering around 250, has already been released.
He further stated that the reports about other detainees being trapped in the lower floors were based on claims from the families of missing persons who, unfortunately, were unable to find their relatives among those freed.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
