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Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) is closely monitoring the alarming situation of Syrian detainees following the recent release of several individuals who had been forcibly disappeared in the prisons of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
The organization emphasizes that activists in Syria have gathered compelling evidence of the extensive violations committed by the Assad regime, which has systematically deprived thousands of their freedom and concealed their fates for decades.
In a significant development, opposition factions have released hundreds of detainees from various Syrian prisons after capturing several governorates and cities, culminating on December 8, 2024. Reports indicate that some individuals who had been missing for four decades have re-emerged, surprising families who had long believed them to be dead.
As of last August, the Syrian Network for Human Rights reported that at least 136,614 individuals remain subjected to arbitrary detention or enforced disappearance in Syrian regime facilities, where they endure torture and mistreatment. This figure includes 2,329 children and 5,742 women, highlighting a profound human rights crisis.
WJWC urgently calls for the immediate release of all detainees and individuals forcibly disappeared on political grounds in Syria. The organization stresses the necessity of documenting victims' testimonies and holding accountable those responsible for the arrests and disappearances of tens of thousands of Syrians, including individuals detained since the 1980s.
Shocking Cases of Detention
Among the most shocking cases is that of Lebanese mechanic Ali Hassan Ali, who was arrested by Syrian regime forces in 1986 during Hafez al-Assad's rule on charges of belonging to an Islamic party. At the time, Ali was just nineteen years old, and his family spent decades searching for him, but the regime denied any knowledge of his existence. Tragically, his mother passed away while waiting for his return.
Recently, after opposition factions took control of Hama, Ali was freed from Hama Central Prison alongside other detainees. A photograph of him, now an elderly man, marked his release after 39 long years in Assad’s prisons.
WJWC has also highlighted the case of Syrian blogger Tal al-Mallouhi, who spent 15 years in Adra prison. Born in 1991, Tal gained recognition for her blogs criticizing corruption in Syria. She was arrested by state security forces in 2009 at the age of 18, and her family remained unaware of her whereabouts for years. In December 2024, she was freed along with other detainees.
The Horrors of Saydnaya Prison
Emerging videos from Saydnaya prison—a notorious death camp near Damascus—depict the unimaginable suffering of detainees. Footage shows terrified women crammed into small cells, with one woman holding a baby believed to have been born inside the prison.
Amnesty International's 2017 report documented the execution of approximately 13,000 individuals in Saydnaya between 2011 and 2015, underscoring the regime's brutality.
WJWC welcomes the release of women detained in Saydnaya and other prisons, reiterating its call for the release of all political prisoners held in Syrian detention centers.
International Accountability
The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance defines enforced disappearance as the deprivation of liberty by state agents, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation.
WJWC confirms that the Syrian regime has perpetrated various violations against detainees, including arrest, detention, abduction, and concealment of their fate. The organization calls for comprehensive investigations to hold accountable those responsible for these crimes and ensure that justice is served for the victims and their families.
