The 'Horrific' Sednaya Prison: From Executions Twice a Week to the 'Salt Room' for Corpses

The Syrian Civil Defense Organization, known as the 'White Helmets', announced on December 10 that the search operation for potential remaining prisoners in Sednaya Prison has concluded, and no cells or hideouts were found in the notorious underground areas of this location. Meanwhile, many of the disappeared were not among those released, and their families suspected that the guards of Bashar al-Assad's regime had imprisoned them in completely sealed and protected locations. Armed Syrian rebels successfully entered the Sednaya security prison in the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday morning, December 9, freeing most of the prisoners, and the next day announced that they had still not managed to reach all sections of this 'terrifying prison' due to its underground areas, which they did not know how to access. Sednaya Prison gained notoriety during the Assad family's rule for the severe torture of prisoners and the existence of secret cells. Sednaya Prison was established in the 1980s and has been described by Amnesty International as a 'human slaughterhouse' and 'a prison where the Syrian government quietly slaughters its people.' It was considered 'one of the most secretive places in the world.' For decades, the name of this prison instilled fear and terror in the hearts of Syrians, and as the 'Association of Sednaya Prisoners and the Disappeared' states, it was a reminder of the loss and disappearance of their loved ones. In a 2022 investigation by the 'Association of Sednaya Prisoners and the Disappeared' regarding the connection between 'Shifa Military Hospital' and the Syrian judiciary with the events at Sednaya Prison, it was found that Tishreen Hospital issued death certificates for prisoners who died in Sednaya, and special courts issued death sentences for them. The investigation included interviews with 31 individuals who had previously worked at Sednaya Prison, several officers who defected from the Syrian regime and were prison guards, as well as a number of former prisoners. According to the mentioned investigation and other reports, Sednaya Prison has three security sections: the outer section to counter any external threats or prisoner escapes; the second section, which is the link between the outer and third sections; and the third section, responsible for protecting the internal buildings of the prison, monitoring the movements and actions of prisoners in the wards and cells. The prison is located on a small hill at the beginning of the Sednaya plain, about 30 kilometers north of Damascus, the capital of Syria. It has two main buildings: the old building known as the 'Red Building' and the new building called the 'White Building.' The area of Sednaya Prison is estimated to be 1.4 square kilometers. Sednaya Prison differed in administrative affiliation and laws from other Syrian prisons. This prison was affiliated with the Syrian Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Justice had no control over it. No one from outside had the right to enter the prison and meet with prisoners except with permission from the military intelligence organization. Legally, Sednaya Prison was affiliated with two bodies: the 'Judicial Organization of the Armed Forces,' which dealt with military crimes, and the 'Field Military Court,' which addressed security charges. The Assad regime divided prisoners in Sednaya into two groups: 'security prisoners,' who were civilians and military personnel imprisoned for their political opinions and activities or their affiliation with groups that the Syrian government labeled as 'terrorist'; and 'judicial prisoners,' who were military personnel imprisoned for crimes such as theft, murder, corruption, embezzlement, and desertion. The difference in groups led to different treatment of prisoners. Security prisoners were subjected to systematic torture, deprivation of adequate food and healthcare, and were prohibited from visits. However, judicial prisoners were only tortured in the initial stages, had access to a reasonable amount of food and healthcare, and had the possibility of periodic visits. The Assad regime viewed security prisoners in this prison as 'mercenaries and traitors,' thus depriving them of 'all human rights.' After the protests in Syria began in 2011, which quickly turned into a civil war following a bloody crackdown by government forces, the situation in Sednaya Prison worsened. According to the investigation by the 'Association of Sednaya Prisoners and the Disappeared,' between 30,000 to 35,000 prisoners died in Sednaya over ten years; some were executed, some died under torture, and others succumbed to lack of food, water, and medical care. Executions in Sednaya Prison were carried out twice a week. The 'Association of Sednaya Prisoners and the Disappeared' states in its investigation: 'Condemned prisoners are not informed of the sentence against them in advance but are executed on the same day or the day after the sentence is issued.' The prison director, security secretary, military prosecutor of the field court, military commander of the southern region of Syria, an officer from military intelligence, the head of the investigation unit in the Syrian army, one of the prison doctors, and occasionally a religious cleric, along with the head of the field court that issued the sentence, would be present at the execution ceremonies. Each of the Red and White buildings had an execution room, and executions were carried out using hanging. After the execution of prisoners or their deaths in prison, the process of transferring bodies gradually took place, and victims were buried in mass graves. Bodies were removed from the prison by the medical services department affiliated with 'Tishreen Military Hospital' and were sometimes buried in the 'Najha' area in the southern outskirts of Damascus, sometimes in the 'Qatana' area at the intersection of the '10th Guard Brigade' and sometimes in the 'Qutayfa' area located west of the shooting range of the 3rd Army Brigade responsible for supporting the prison. The treatment of corpses was also done in two ways: the bodies of executed prisoners were directly transferred to the mentioned cemeteries using military vehicles. However, the bodies of those who died under torture or due to lack of care were first placed for 48 hours in a room known as the 'salt room.' In this room, numbers were placed on the foreheads of the corpses for identification and then covered with salt. After that, they were transferred to 'Tishreen Military Hospital,' where a death certificate was issued for them to be buried in one of the mentioned cemeteries. Non-combatants who dared to protest against the Assad regime constituted the majority of the victims in Sednaya Prison. According to the investigation by the 'Association of Sednaya Prisoners and the Disappeared,' since 2011, thousands have been executed in this prison outside of judicial processes, and many have also died due to torture or lack of care.