Hundreds of Syrian detainees whom had spent two decades at Palmyra desert prison under inhumane conditions and had suffered torture and fallen victim to fatal illnesses, were transferred to Sednaya prison north of the capital Damascus in late Summer 2001.

No one can explain the reason why these prisoners of conscience continue to be locked-up after so long, some more than 20 years. It is also notable that the numbers of prisoners continues to spiral as new detainees are transferred, most of whom are those who had supposedly resolved their problems and returned hoping to settle in their homeland, but were instead taken to Sednaya prison,

The Syrian Human Rights Committee has listed the names of around 450 prisoners who are alleged to be affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood "Ikhwan Muslimeen", 60 whom are suspected to be connected to the Liberation party (Hizb-ul-Tahrir) and others detained as a result of their connections with the Ba'ath Party –Iraqi Wing (rival to the ruling party in Damascus), Communist Labour Party or others, bringing the total number of prisoners of conscience in Sednaya prison alone to more than 600.

Detention after expiry of sentence term

Many of the old prisoners have already served their prison terms which were ruled by field courts which took no more than a few minutes to pass prison sentences extending to many years. One of those who has been detained for 20 years: "I stood before the Judge; Sulayman Al-Khateeb who asked me what my name was. When I answered he said: "You have a very beautiful name and for that you deserve to be imprisoned for 20 years. Court adjourned!".

Another prisoner said: "Sulayman Al-Khateeb, the same judge asked me what relation I had with someone whom he named. When I answered that he was my uncle, he responded, for that you will never leave us but as a dead man. Court adjourned!".

The Syrian Human Rights Committee had issued an appeal on 7/9/2002 for the release of three pilots whom had been sentenced to 20 years, and after they served their sentences, the Air Force Intelligence re-arrested them and detained them at Al-Mezze Military Airport prison. The three; Mohammed Rafeeq Al-Hamami, Mahmoud Keiki and Mohammed Bashar Al-Ashi, were then subjected once again to various mental and physical torture. The three suffer from dehydration, high blood pressure and heart diseases. The acute humanitarian issue of Mohammed Rafeeq Al-Hamami was totally ignored by the authorities and his detention continued regardless.
Al-Hamami has three children who have now become young men, but all three have severe physical disabilities which deem them unable to move or to see. This left their mother, Al-Hamami's wife, unable to cope with the immense stress of having to look after and care for them after 20 years of waiting without a glimmer of hope, and therefore she filed a case for separation which lead to the three sons being moved to the care of their relatives. These details are not unknown by Brigadier Hasan Khaleel, Head of Military Intelligence nor by the Head of the Air Force Intelligence, but the main problem is that those who head Syrian security forces are totally detached from humanity and desire to subject prisoners to the most severe forms of torture, both physically and psychologically.

The Syrians Human Rights Committee also relayed the story of Fouad Na'san Ismail who was arrested as a result of his acquaintance with an individual suspected of being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. A fellow inmate of his said: "A decision to release Fouad - who was known as the artist, due to his extraordinary painting and sculpturing skills – from Palmyra prison was made in 2000 after he had sculptured two statues of Hafez and Bashar Asad. He was told that his release was due, and we bid him farewell. However, we were shocked and saddened to meet him once more at Sednaya prison in 2001 after we were all transferred from Palmyra. Needless to say that his desperation far outweighed our shock". Fouad Ismail, of the village Kafr 'Uweid (Idlib province) remains in prison until this day.

SHRC has also learnt that Mohammed Ayman Al-Mulqi, a pharmacist from Damascus, remains in prison 15 years after serving his sentence. Nasouh Al-Bakri, who was arrested during a visit he was making from Saudi Arabia where he lived and worked, was sentenced to a year in prison, but remains languishing in his cell after 6 years, despite living with only one lung and having undergone heart surgery before being arrested.

Mustafa Al-Ranna from Idlib province, continues to be imprisoned despite his sentence being fully served more than 10 years ago. Riyadh Himsi suffers from a serious mental illness and has finished serving his sentence a long time ago yet remains in prison. The brothers Sulayman and Mustafa Al-Shatti from Al-Raqqa have still not been released despite their sentence being fully served and Mustafa suffering complete paralysis.

As for Ammar Mohammed Adnan Ladqani who was born outside Syria, he came in 1997 to visit his father (Colonel Adnan Ladqani) who had been released following a 20 year prison sentence, only for the authorities to arrest and sentence him to one year in Sednaya prison, yet after 5 years he is still to be released.

Abdul Rahman Hassani's (from Souran in Hama province) 20 year prison sentence was completed several months ago, yet he is still detained. And despite Isam Mohammed Al-Umar (Al-Dana – Idlib province) prison sentence expiring in 1999, and despite his acute health condition, serious illness and broken back and disk problems, he is still to be released simply because he is the nephew of the prominent Syrian author Ibrahim Asi who is believed to be among the victims of the infamous massacre at Palmyra prison which was carried out by the Syrian authorities in June 1980.

Detention of Hostages

Yahya Wajih Alwani from Hama, has been taken hostage since 1979 for his brother, whom the authorities arrested and executed in the early 1980s. It is worth noting that Yahya suffers from mental illness and is considered an unbalanced individual.

Amir Nasr Kojan of Hama has been detained as hostage in exchange for his brothers whom were imprisoned and subsequently killed in Palmyra prison. Midhat Muneer Tayfour was also detained and sentenced to 13 years because his brother was a leading figure of the Muslim Brotherhood. Although Midhat was working in Saudi Arabia and had only returned to Syria on a normal visit, he was arrested on the first check point Syrian land borders and transferred to Palmyra and then on to Sednaya. He currently suffers from a psychological illness and has received no medical or psychiatric care, similar to the neglect suffered by all other detainees in this horrifying prison.

Mohammed Ihasan Al-Murad was arrested in1988 because two of his relatives; Shaykh Saeed Ali Murad and Shaykh Mohammed Ali Murad are religious scholars from Hama. Previous detainees confirmed that he had been subject to severe torture as a result of his relation to the 'Mufti' of Hama whom the authorities arrested and subsequently killed in 1982.

Mohammed Kheir Tahhan has been in prison for the past quarter of a century simply because he sympathised with his brother Mohammed Ali Tahhan who was also imprisoned.

Mohammed Mohammed Hatem Al-Tabshi (from Hama) was arrested instead of his father during a normal visit to Syria a few years ago, and has since been in prison for no apparent reason and without committing any wrong-doing, apart from the fact that his father is an opposition figure to the Syrian regime.

Ahmed Maher Barakat, the brother of the detainee Subhi, was arrested after some security figures stated that his brother had died in prison. Ahmed then initiated proceedings to officially register Subhi's death and attain the rightful dues to his family. However, he then discovered that his brother was still alive, so he asked permission to visit him. Upon this the head of the military intelligence Brigadier Hasan Khaleel arrested him and transferred him to Sednaya prison.

Ubada Akram Al-Hariri from Dar'a, who was a student living with his family in Saudi Arabia and had come to Syria to study, only to be arrested and imprisoned in Sednaya because his father was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Ubada currently suffers from dehydration and recent reports confirm that he languishes in Wing C-left of Sednaya prison.

Tragic Health Conditions

It may be difficult to distinguish one prisoner from another at Sednaya, as each and every one of them suffers from heart problems and dehydration whilst many also suffer from psychological and mental problems as a result of the severe torture they were subjected to and the prolonged periods of imprisonment they have had to endure. Despite this, no one cares for giving them appropriate medication or even pain-killers.

Dr. Lo'ay Mohammed Al-Khayer (Deir Al-Zour), a specialist Gynecologist who qualified in France, was arrested in 1983 and currently suffers total paralysis as a result of a Brain stroke which he suffered in prison due to severe torture which he was subjected to. His health condition is currently described as critical. Army Officers Captain Tayseer Lutfi (Hama) and Captain Salah Halawa (Damascus) who have been in prison since 1982, suffer from dehydration and high blood pressure, diabetes and Rheumatism, yet do not receive any kind of medical treatment or care.

Yaser Jamous (from Tel Mannin-Damascus) suffers from Parkinson disease and severe pain in his only leg –his other was amputated. Despite his disability and severe pain, he does not find even the most basic of care or even pain killers.

Abdul Baqi Kello (Al-Mayadin) suffers from a psychological illness as a result of his continued detention under severe conditions for the past 23 years. His arrest came after he had hosted two students who were wanted by security authorities, when he was a student at Damascus University.

One may argue that the critical health condition of Abdul Rahman Jabaru is amongst the most tragic at Sednaya prison, yet he does not find any medical care or treatment. Mustafa Al-Shatti (Al-Raqqa) suffers from complete paralysis whilst still languishing in prison. Abdul Rahman Musaddar (Hama) suffers from heart disease and high blood pressure and yet does not receive any medical attention or care despite his entire family being killed whilst in their homes during the Hama massacre in 1982. The security committee decided in 2001 to release him, yet he remains in prison until this day.

The Syrian Human Rights Committee calls upon the United Nation's General Commission on Human Rights to form a fact-finding committee into the conditions and circumstances of this prison and to investigate the conditions of the prisoners therein.

SHRC also calls on Arab and International human rights organisations and humanitarian groups around the world to move rapidly towards highlighting the case of Sednaya prison and releasing the detainees therein from certain death, particularly considering that the Syrian authorities had previously killed around 17,000 prisoners in the infamous Palmyra desert prison.

One cannot help but ask what more does the Syrian authorities from individuals worn out from imprisonment, torture and psychological torment.
What more does it want from prisoners who have spent decades of their lives languishing in the most horrific of conditions. Why is it that these prisoners remain in prison despite having served their sentences, illegal and unjustified as they are.

The Syrian Human Rights Committee calls on the Syrian President Bashar Asad to order the immediate release of all those detainees, and considers him personally responsible for all the inhumane treatment they continue to endure.