A source in the Association of Detainees and Missing Persons of Sednaya Prison revealed the amount of money confiscated by the Syrian regime from detainees inside the Sednaya detention center. The confiscations have been made pursuant to decisions by the Court of Terrorism and Military Field.
“At least 32 million USD in funds have been confiscated by the Syrian regime. The confiscations have been made either pursuant to decisions of the Military Field Court and the Terrorism Court, or merely by seizing money from the detainees of Sednaya prison. These confiscations have taken place from 2011 until the present,” said Diab Serriya, the association’s coordinator.
“Information about the confiscations, as well as other details, will be presented in a new report by the Association of Detainees and Missing Persons of Sednaya Prison, which will be issued soon,” he said.
“The report contains a significant update of the information issued in the association’s first report, entitled “Detention in Sednaya,” which was published in November 2019,” Serriya said.
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“We have devoted a full chapter to exploring the confiscation of detainees’ liquid and fixed assets, which were carried pursuant to judicial seizure decisions. The report will also show the value of these properties and the extent to which they affect the lives of survivors, as well as how the regime is trying to eliminate every possible opportunity for survivors to return to their normal lives or get back on their feet,” he said.
“The report will be released soon. We believe that it is the first report of its kind, which touches on the confiscation of detainees’ funds in this magnitude and impact,” Serriya said.
Earlier this year, the Association of Detainees and Missing Persons of Sednaya Prison issued a report documenting the Syrian regime’s use of enforced disappearances and arrests to accumulate wealth. The accumulated wealth has been used to increase the influence of security agencies, their leaders, and enforcers within the government — not to mention some judges and lawyers.
The report alleged that the Syrian regime has financially extorted parents of detainees in exchange for information about their children, granting visitation rights to their places of detention, or release. The extorted funds amounted to nearly 900 million USD from 2011 until the start of 2021.
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.
