When the foreign ministers of Germany and France stepped into the desolate ruins of Sednaya Prison during their recent visit to Syria, the silence was deafening. For decades, the notorious detention center stood as a chilling symbol of Bashar al-Assad’s grip on power, its name synonymous with fear and unspeakable cruelty. Their visit marked a rare international acknowledgment of the crimes committed within those walls and reignited calls for justice.
Sednaya: The Human Slaughterhouse
Sednaya Prison, located north of Damascus, was more than just a detention facility—it was a machine of systematic oppression. Nicknamed the “human slaughterhouse” by Amnesty International, Sednaya gained infamy for the mass executions and routine torture inflicted upon its detainees. The horrors of Sednaya came to light in 2017 through detailed reports and the testimonies of survivors, most of whom had been arrested arbitrarily for opposing the regime or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
In a 2017 Amnesty report, former prisoners recounted being subjected to “welcome parties”—a euphemism for brutal beatings upon arrival. Survivors like Omar Alshogre, who endured years of torture, described the suffocating darkness of overcrowded cells and the constant sound of fellow inmates succumbing to beatings or starvation.
A Network of Torture Chambers
Sednaya was just one cog in a vast network of Syrian detention centers. Human rights organizations estimate that the Assad regime operated over 27 major detention facilities during the civil war, each infamous for its own brand of brutality. Branches of the military intelligence services, such as the notorious Branch 215 and the Palestine Branch, were central to this network, with prisoners often transferred between facilities in a grim circuit of torture and abuse.
Why Sednaya Stands Out
Sednaya’s notoriety stemmed not just from the scale of its atrocities but also from its calculated dehumanization. The prison reportedly carried out mass hangings in the dead of night, with up to 50 prisoners executed weekly. Survivors have described being forced to count the bodies of the dead, a macabre task intended to break their spirit.
The facility’s notoriety was further solidified by the discovery of the so-called “salt rooms,” where bodies were preserved using salt, a method designed to hide the scale of killings from international scrutiny. These revelations painted a picture of a regime that weaponized terror with chilling efficiency.
Voices from Hell
Omar Alshogre’s story is emblematic of the suffering endured by thousands. Arrested as a teenager, Alshogre endured starvation, torture, and the deaths of loved ones within Sednaya’s walls. In one haunting account, he described being ordered to write numbers on the foreheads of deceased prisoners, including his cousin. “You forget what it means to be human,” he later said.
Another survivor recalled the brutal “welcome parties” that claimed the lives of dozens of prisoners before they even reached their cells. Testimonies like these, documented by organizations like Amnesty International, underscore the need for accountability.
Iran: The Enabler of Atrocities
The Iranian regime’s fingerprints are all over Syria’s apparatus of oppression. In an interview with Simay Azadi, Ammar Al-Salmo of the Syrian White Helmets highlighted that Assad’s survival was only possible through Iran’s unwavering support. “Iran provided the regime with financial, military, and intelligence backing,” he explained.
Amar's Message to his brothers and sisters in Iran
— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) January 3, 2025
You are stronger than the regime. The #Iran regime is fragile and tries to control you by spreading fear by you can get rid of Iran's regime. You are right. The regime doesn't belong to the 21st century.#FreeIran2025 pic.twitter.com/UWmwtD7OPg
Iranian advisors, particularly from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), played a direct role in training Syrian security forces. Reports suggest that Iranian officials were present during interrogations at Sednaya, offering expertise in methods of torture refined in Iranian prisons like Evin and Kahrizak. Hezbollah, Tehran’s Lebanese proxy, also contributed to the siege of opposition areas, funneling captured activists and fighters into facilities like Sednaya.
The shared methods of repression reveal a grim export of Iran’s brutal tactics, honed through decades of suppressing dissent at home, to prop up Assad’s regime.
Impunity: A Global Failure
Sednaya is not just a story of cruelty; it is a story of impunity. The systematic torture, mass executions, and dehumanization were possible because Assad’s regime operated with complete disregard for accountability. Protected by powerful allies like Russia and Iran, the regime has evaded international justice for over a decade.
Ammar Al-Salmo emphasized this connection in his interview with Simay Azadi. “Without Iran’s support, Assad’s regime would have collapsed long ago,” he said. “The crimes in Sednaya were enabled by this alliance, and the same culture of impunity thrives in Tehran’s prisons.”
Shared Impunity: From Damascus to Tehran
Iran’s involvement in Sednaya reflects its own culture of impunity. The Iranian regime’s prisons are infamous for human rights abuses, with Evin Prison earning a reputation akin to Sednaya. In both countries, justice remains elusive, as survivors’ calls for accountability are met with international inertia.
As Ammar Al-Salmo highlighted, the Syrian and Iranian regimes share a symbiotic relationship rooted in mutual survival and oppression. Breaking the cycle of impunity in one could pave the way for justice in the other.
A Victim’s Plea for Justice
“We need the world to see what happened here,” Omar Alshogre has urged. “Not just to remember the victims, but to ensure no one else has to endure what we did.” For survivors like Alshogre and advocates like Ammar Al-Salmo, Sednaya’s horrors are not just a Syrian tragedy—they are a rallying cry for accountability across borders.