Content warning: This article mentions sexual violence.
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria on December 8th of last year, opposition factions opened prison doors, freeing detainees who had endured all forms of torture at the hands of their tormentors. Among them were countless women who had faced isolation, violence, and years of darkness.
Samar al-Talib (29, a pseudonym), a survivor from Aleppo, northern Syria, spent over five years in Adra prison in Damascus. Released after the fall of Assad’s regime, she recounted: “Elements of the former Syrian regime arrested me from the University of Aleppo, where I was studying pharmacy, due to a Facebook post criticising the regime and calling for reforms and improvements in economic and living conditions.”
She revealed that she and other women were subjected to torture within the prison, saying, “We were beaten, burned, starved, and frozen. False charges were fabricated against us, in addition to psychological pressure and witnessing the deaths of prisoners due to torture.”
Regarding the difficulties of readjusting to life after prison, al-Talib said, “Prison is a turning point for me between the past and the present, and its consequences can extend into the future. We face violence and bullying, or are abandoned by society, family, and friends. These practices prevent us from reclaiming our previous lives or starting anew due to societal rejection.”
Tears welled up in al-Talib’s eyes as she recalled the moment her husband received her, only to slam the door in her face. “Those moments were enough to make me lose consciousness,” she added. “During my imprisonment, my heart bled with sorrow for my family, and the longing for my children kept me awake for days. In the darkness of the cold solitary confinement, images of my family were the most beautiful thing to visit my imagination. But after my release, my husband divorced me and deprived me of living with my children, as he believes I was raped inside the prison by guards and officers, and that I would tarnish his reputation and that of his family.”
Rim al-Awad (a pseudonym), a 33-year-old teacher from Hama, Syria, was subjected to physical and psychological torture while detained. Fearing for her family’s ability to find her, she was released from prison with numerous physical and psychological ailments. She recounts, “I was arrested by elements of the Assad regime to force my brother, who had defected from the Syrian army, to surrender. I spent over three years detained in Saydnaya prison, which Syrians call the ‘human slaughterhouse’ due to the brutal torture that defies description, including the ‘human press,’ the ‘salt room,’ and dissolution in acid.”
She confessed to wishing for death while imprisoned, especially when hearing the sounds of torture during 24-hour interrogations and the confessions and killings of young men. She affirmed that the security system in Saydnaya prison reflected complex technology, such as hydraulic doors and access codes. She also asserted that psychological and physical torture was a daily practice aimed at breaking the will of detainees.
Al-Awad adds, “On one occasion, when the interrogator beat me and placed me on an electric chair, I fainted and suffered a head bleed. Even now, after being released, I continue to suffer from constant headaches, seizures, and occasional loss of consciousness.”
Al-Awad calls for a Syrian society based on justice, freedom of speech, and expression, along with the creation of a safe working environment and coordination for survivors. She emphasises the need to support and reintegrate them into society so they can contribute to achieving justice and holding those responsible for the arrest and torture of women in Syria accountable in both domestic and international courts.
Sanaa al-Diri, a 31-year-old mental health specialist from Idlib, northern Syria, discusses the suffering of women survivors of detention, stating, “Syrian women in the prisons of the former Assad regime experienced the worst forms of torture in security branches, including physical, psychological, and even sexual torture. Since December 8th, they have rejoiced in gaining freedom, which was an illusion or mirage in a society dominated by customs and traditions. After their release, they still suffer from the unjust societal view that transforms victims of detention into accused, rejected members of society. Some openly blame them, while others avoid interacting with them simply knowing that they are survivors of detention who were raped by guards and interrogators.”
Al-Diri calls for justice and accountability for perpetrators of violations against women through boosting the morale of survivors of detention and enforced disappearance, and empowering them politically, socially, and legally to oppose the arbitrary detention of women and achieve justice. She emphasises the need to raise awareness about human freedom, the right to express one’s opinion, and the right to a decent life, while doing everything possible to achieve justice for every survivor, as it is the least they deserve.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said in a statement published on its website that at least 112,414 people remain forcibly disappeared at the hands of the Assad regime, despite the release of thousands of detainees in recent weeks.
The network estimated the number of those released after the opening of prisons was at approximately 24,200, noting that its database, as of last August, indicates that the total number of detainees and forcibly disappeared in Syria exceeded 136,000.
The network announced the discovery of mass graves in recent weeks, noting that sites containing the remains of thousands of victims executed outside the law have been uncovered.
Syrian women have endured the worst days of their lives in overcrowded cells lacking the most basic necessities of life and hygiene. The Syrian regime has subjected them to torture and sexual abuse due to their own activism or that of their relatives, leaving them as witnesses to the atrocities committed inside the prisons of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad against those who opposed his rule and demanded freedom and dignity.”