During the rule of the Baath regime in Syria, which collapsed after 61 years, thousands of individuals endured torture across numerous facilities, extending beyond the infamous Sednaya prison.
Following the uprising that began in March 2011, the regime reportedly tortured and killed thousands. However, fears persist that the actual, undocumented toll could reach tens of thousands.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) reports that at least 1.2 million Syrians were detained by regime forces during the civil war and subjected to various forms of torture.
Despite announcing over 20 so-called amnesty decrees during the war, the regime continued its policy of detaining Syrians, according to international human rights organizations. Numerous reports highlight that torture frequently resulted in the deaths of detainees.
Anadolu Agency has detailed the regime’s torture centers and methods. According to an SNHR report prepared exclusively for Anadolu, these centers were classified into civilian prisons, military prisons, secret or unofficial detention facilities, and security unit interrogation centers.
The regime operated more than 50 such centers across nearly all provinces in Syria.
Prisons under the Interior Ministry
In cities where opposition forces toppled the Baath regime, one of their first actions was to liberate detainees, many of whom were opposition members. Major prisons, including Aleppo Central Prison, Hama Central Prison, Adra Central Prison in Damascus, Homs Central Prison, and Suwayda Central Prison, saw the release of prisoners.
However, detainees in Tartus and Latakia central prisons continue to await freedom.
Torture Centers Under the Defense Ministry
Tens of thousands were subjected to prolonged torture in military prisons operated under the Defense Ministry. Among the most notorious were Sednaya, Mezzeh, Qaboun in Damascus, and Al-Balloon and Tadmur in Homs. Many held in these facilities vanished without a trace.
Opposition forces also liberated detainees from Mezzeh and Qaboun prisons after toppling the regime in those areas. Mezzeh prison, situated at the military airport in Damascus’s Mezze district, was managed by military intelligence units under the Defense Ministry.
This grim legacy of the Baath regime’s detention and torture practices remains a painful chapter in Syria’s history.
