Syria rebel leader vows to shut down notorious Assad prisons
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DAMASCUS, SYRIA – MARCH 15: Mount Qasioun, at an altitude of 1200 meters above sea level, overlooks the city from the north of the capital in Damascus, Syria on March 15, 2022.The mountain constitutes a sort of sanctuary for the inhabitants of surrounding Syrian capital, as it is believed to be the place where the first blood was shed and the first crime was committed on earth in connection with a religious story referring to the first human-being Adam’s son Cain killed his brother Abel. Mount Qasioun known with its sacred places, caves and legends, attracts visitors with its panoramic view to the city, while there are resting stops and observation terraces on the mountain, which is a popular place for Syrians as a picnic and sightseeing area. (Photo by Ammar Ghali/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
FOREIGN
Syrian rebel forces have said they plan to close the notoriously harsh prisons run by ousted president Bashar al-Assad and hunt those involved in the killing or torture of detainees.
Rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, also said he would dissolve the security forces of the former regime, in a statement seen by the Reuters news agency.
Videos showing thousands of prisoners being freed from Saydnaya prison – referred to as a “human slaughterhouse” by rights groups – surfaced after the collapse of the Assad government on Sunday.
Almost 60,000 people were tortured and killed in the prisons run by Assad, UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
In a separate statement, Jolani said pardons for those who took part in the torture or killing of prisoners were out of the question.
