Hanging from the ceiling of the dank, dilapidated prison cell, and above the mountain of dirty prison uniforms is a sun-bleached punching bag, far too pale to have been replaced recently.
Though this ordinarily wouldn’t be cause for massive concern, its location, one of Syria’s most notorious prisons, gives it a sickly aura.
The well-worn bit of kit eerily dangles next to a rusted, wonky wheel welded onto a thin metal frame.
One can only imagine what, or who, was hung up on it.
These are just a few of the horrifying images that have started to emerge from the so-called ‘White Building’ – also known as the execution block of Sednaya Prison in Damascus, Syria, which became infamous for being the site of inhumane torture under the toppled Bashar al-Assad regime.
Since his fall on December 10, countless Syrians have flooded prisons like Sednaya, hoping to find answers to where their loved ones may be, whether dead or alive.
Some 4,300 prisoners were held at Saydnaya, the most depraved of Assad’s jail network across which 60,000 were tortured and killed during his murderous reign.
Human rights groups say more than 100,000 Syrians have disappeared since the brutal dictator’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011, and since the dictator’s fall, their loved ones have been searching for answers
Hanging from the ceiling of the dank, dilapidated prison cell, and above the mountain of dirty prison uniforms is a sun-bleached punching bag, far too pale to have been replaced recently.
Since his fall on December 10, countless Syrians have flooded prisons like Sednaya, hoping to find answers to where their loved ones may be, whether dead or alive
But they have found little more than messages from beyond.
One particularly saddening image showed a slightly-wrong quotes from a Celine Dion song, incorrectly attributed to ‘Maria Carry.’
‘Live and die; laugh and cry; Life is a dream we’re dreaming; Day by day; I find my way; Look for the song and the meaning’, the quote reads.
There are no other signs of the author of the childlike scrawl, who describes themself as ‘AMH – Spy’.
One tragic note, found amongst deserted blankets, hosts a picture of a handsome man in a cafe with several love hearts around him.
The letter reads: ‘Abu Jamlu, my dear… You are my support in hardships, O dearest of friends, the loyal friend whom we rely on from God.
‘And in the whole world, I have no beloved but you. Your path is entrusted to God.
‘May God perpetuate love and unite us for goodness abroad.. I am tired of the country, I am tired…’
The dirty prison was infamous for being the site of torture under Assad’s regime
A little girl’s picture can be seen lovingly stitched into a red darned heart made from wool
Dozens and people were forced to sleep in the same cells as each other in the prison
Other messages were seemingly burned into the walls and ceilings of other lightless cells.
On the floor of the prison cells lay countless photos of loved ones long separated by Assad’s terror.
A little girl’s picture can be seen lovingly stitched into a red darned heart made from wool.
The whereabouts of these people is not, and may not ever be, known.
But desperate for answers, Syrians will continue to search for their loved ones, perhaps forever.
Firas Kaid was one such person. Desperate to find his uncle who was snatched by Assad’s henchman five years ago, he was one of thousands who stormed Saydnaya prison.
But that hope was quickly snuffed out as he joined thousands of other desperate relatives in scouring the ‘human slaughterhouse’ near Damascus for signs of life.
One particularly saddening image showed a slightly-wrong quotes from a Celine Dion song, incorrectly attributed to ‘Maria Carry’
Hopeless prisoners apparently scratched messages into their cell walls
Messages were seemingly burned into the ceilings and walls of the cells
‘It’s evil like you’ve never seen,’ Mr Kaid told the Mail after three days of searching the compound following the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
‘I looked at a few files – every single one says: ‘Participated in terrorist acts, caused someone’s death’. They all say: ‘Cardiac arrest. Dead at the hospital. Dead, dead, dead.’
‘Everyone needs to see this. Film it and show it to the whole world. Show everyone, show all the Arab countries, the crimes and the evil of Bashar al-Assad.’
When the rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, swept into the Syrian capital over the weekend thousands dashed to Saydnaya to free their loves ones from the hell hole.
They found a ‘medieval’ underground maze of tiny, cramped cells crammed full of skeletal prisoners lying on dirty blankets.
Rumours circulated of ‘secret’ torture chambers buried underground where the ‘disappeared’ had been held – prolonging the hope that those unaccounted for could still be found.
But after days of searching, The Syrian Civil Defence – dubbed the White Helmets – yesterday (Tue) called off the mission saying there was no evidence of ‘undiscovered secret cells’.
‘The teams inspected all entrances, exits, ventilation shafts, sewage systems, water pipes, electrical wiring, and surveillance camera cables,’ the group said in a statement. ‘Despite these extensive efforts, no hidden or sealed areas were identified.’
Assad’s fall has led many to hope to find answers to questions over what happened to their loved ones
Syrians have been flooding into the prison to seek answers to where their loved ones may be
Piles of rubbish were see shoved into Sednaya’s cells
A spokesman said they ‘shared the profound disappointment of the families of the thousands who remain missing and whose fates remain unknown’.
Amniya Izza, from Al-Kiswa, is looking for her husband, brother and son-in-law who were kidnapped 11 years ago.
‘My husband was arrested on the road,’ she said. ‘He was just travelling with my brother and they just took him.
‘People tell us they are undergound, but nobody knows anything about them.. My heart tells me they’re alive. Inshallah, I hope.’
Some relatives have been reunited, but the state of the prisoners left Mrs Izza shocked. ‘They’re so thin,’ she said.
‘Their faces are yellow. They have no flesh, just bones. Bones came out of there. May Allah help.’
Another woman searching for her brother and nephew who had been held for ten years cursed Assad and his henchmen. ‘May Allah punish them,’ she told the Mail. ‘May Allah take revenge on them.
‘They took them off the street, just like that, for no reason. What can anyone feel here except sadness? Honestly, it makes me want to cry. What can I tell you?’
Torn pictures of dictator Bashar al-Assad were seen above doorframes in the prison
An aerial view of ‘White Building’ also called as the execution block of Sednaya Prison, infamous for torture under the toppled Bashar al-Assad regime in Damascus, Syria on December 10, 2024
Syrian rebels yesterday (Tue) said they found around 40 bodies with signs of torture in the mortuary of a military hospital that served Saydnaya.
Video and photos showed bodies wrapped in blood-stained white shrouds piled up inside a refrigerated room.
Several of the bodies appeared to have wounds and bruising on their faces and torsos. Pieces of adhesive tape bearing numbers and names were also visible.
I opened the door of the mortuary with my own hands, it was a horrific sight,’ Mohammed al-Hajj, a member of a rebel group from southern Syria, told AFP news agency.
From Harasta, bodies would be transferred to mass graves.