Assad Forces Attack Hama Prison to Suppress Inmate Rebellion

On Friday, May 6, security forces of Bashar al-Assad's government attacked the Hama prison in Syria to suppress a rebellion by inmates. This prison houses 800 prisoners. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London, reported that government forces fired tear gas canisters into the cells after detaining the families of prisoners who had gathered outside the prison, worried about the situation of their relatives. According to AFP, before the attack by Assad's forces on Hama prison, Syrian rebel groups had threatened to shell government positions if the state did not meet the demands of the inmates who had rebelled in the prison. Syrian rebels warned that government forces surrounding the prison might massacre the inmates. According to Reuters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated that after the postponement of the trials of the inmates and the transfer of some to a military prison near Damascus, the inmates of Hama central prison began their rebellion on Monday and took several guards hostage. These inmates include political activists and Islamists. Protests continued on Friday, and apparently as a result of negotiations, some inmates were released. Syrian rebel groups, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham group, issued a statement on Friday threatening to shell government bases in the Hama area if the inmates' demands were not met. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the main demand of the inmates is a fair trial and the prevention of their transfer to the Sednaya military prison in the outskirts of Damascus. The High Negotiations Committee, the main body of Syrian rebel groups, stated that the inmates are demanding improved prison conditions. The High Negotiations Committee also warned of the possibility of a 'massacre' by government forces preparing to raid the prison, stating that the international community would be held responsible if such an incident occurred. International human rights organizations say that thousands are imprisoned in Syrian government jails without charges or trials, and many of them are tortured and mistreated. However, the Syrian government denies these allegations. The Syrian crisis began in the spring of 2011 with protests against the government and turned into a bloody civil war after the violent suppression of protests.