Syrians gathered at an infamous Damascus prison to search for missing inmates which include women and children After the fall of President Bashar al-Assad,
Crowds wen to Saydnaya prison, which includes a women's detention center, on Monday after allegations that inmates were being detained in underground or hidden cells, the BBC reported.
Thomas van Linge, a freelance journalist, published a video on X that shows the moment the prison cells were opened.
#Syria: incredible scenes from the moment the prison cells were opened at the women's detention area of Sednaya prison. pic.twitter.com/JqaFuswz8z
— Thomas van Linge (@ThomasVLinge) December 8, 2024
Other online footage showed that it appeared the prison has two to three underground layers occupied by prisoners.
Charles Lister, the director of the MEI Syria Program in Washington, D.C. published a video on X that shows CCTV footage from the inside of the prison.
If the international community wants to rescue some credibility with #Syria’s people, it should send specialists to #Sednaya Prison in #Damascus immediately — there are 100s, possibly 1000s of prisoners stuck 2-3 layers underground, behind electronic locks & concealed doors. pic.twitter.com/16xxmDbD4b
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) December 9, 2024
Footage posted on X by Rami Jarrah, a war journalist, showed Syrians attempting to unearth thousands of people who could be trapped beneath layers of rock.
The images coming out Sednaya Prison should haunt us for ages to come, thousands trapped beneath layers of structures, never seeing the light of day.
— Rami Jarrah (@RamiJarrah) December 8, 2024
Detainees held without charge in solitary confinement, left to rot. This is the "Human Slaughterhouse" of Syria. pic.twitter.com/Q6ghSIxv49
Syrians have been rejoicing since Sunday when Assad fled the country for Moscow. He and his family will be given asylum due to "humanitarian considerations," said a Russian state media report via the BBC.
Less than 24 hours after Barron News-Shield reported that President Joe Biden said Assad must be "held accountable," Assad, backed by Russian military support, lost Syria to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebels.
"The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled," announced HTS on Sunday morning, reported the BBC.
Russia, a major ally of Assad during his civil war, made the announcement of Assad's departure on Russian state television, according to the BBC.
Assad "decided to resign the presidency and left the country, giving instructions for a peaceful transfer of power," said the ministry.
The announcement put an end to lingering concerns about Assad's whereabouts after rebels took control over Damascus after a lightning offensive.
Assad fled, effectively ending five decades of Baath Party rule in Syria. HTS increased its intensity starting November 27 when it continued to breach the Aleppo ceasefire that was established in 2016.
Experts warned that the coalition's leading group, HTS, aims to impose a strict Islamist regime through a 'Taliban-esque society with a few tweaks.'
Syrians all over rejoice over the end of the Baath Party
Syrians have uploaded videos of them celebrating in the streets. Citizens who left for Turkey and Egypt rejoiced too, with one expat, Reda al-Khedr, saying to AFP via an interview, "I can barely remember Syria. But now we're going to go home to a liberated Syria."
Syrians taking refuge in Iraq's Kurdistan region brandished the flag of the opposition, referring to Assad's fall as a victory for the "revolution."
Looters stormed the ousted president's palace, overcome by mixed emotions. Abu Omar, in an interview with AFP, said, "I am taking pictures because I am so happy to be here in the middle of his house."
Russia, which has two military bases in Syria, has not said if it will dismantle them or keep them in the region.
