“No secret cells” found at Syria’s Sednaya Prison, says Civil Defense

Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, the Syrian Civil Defense announced that search operations at Sednaya Prison in Damascus countryside have concluded, with no secret sections housing potential detainees found, after many prisoners were released following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime early Sunday.

The White Helmets, as the Civil Defense is known, confirmed their specialized teams searched all sections, facilities, and cells of the prison, inside and out, with the help of individuals familiar with the prison's layout. They reportedly found “no evidence” of secret cells or tunnels.

The search involved five specialized teams, including two K9 units and support and medical teams.

"We are deeply disappointed by the thousands of detainees still missing, with families unable to discover their fate," the Civil Defense said. "We stand in solidarity with the families and understand their pain as they await their loved ones."

The Syrian-led humanitarian group urged international organizations and local authorities to “support civil society efforts to uncover the fate of the missing, emphasizing its use of resources to locate mass graves, identify unidentified bodies, and return them to their families.”

On December 8, Syrian opposition forces freed detainees from Sednaya Prison, reportedly known as the "human slaughterhouse" for its use as a torture center. However, families of those released are still calling for the freedom of their relatives, claiming they remain held in the prison's lower floors.

International reports suggest that thousands of detainees were systematically killed in the prison, with the collapsed regime executing up to 50 people per week between 2011 and 2015, without trials.

Bashar al-Assad ruled Syria for 24 years, succeeding his father, Hafez al-Assad. He later fled to Russia with his family, which granted them asylum for "humanitarian reasons."