Thousands of people, including women and children, dissidents of President Bashar al-Assad have been freed from notorious prisons in Syria.

📹 Prisoners were released from Syria's Sednaya prison in Damascus, which had links to the regime and a reputation for torture

Footage shows the moments of release of detainees⤵️ pic.twitter.com/Xobi7VST1j

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) December 9, 2024

Syria's prisons are notorious for their cruelty, and Syria's formidable security apparatus and prisons have not only served to isolate Assad's opponents, but also to instill fear in his people.

North of Damascus at Saydnaya military prison, known as the "slaughterhouse of people", female detainees, some with their children, screamed as men broke the locks on their cell doors. Amnesty International and other groups say dozens of people have been secretly executed every week in Saidnaya, estimating that between 2011 and 2016 up to 13.000 Syrians were killed.

“Fear not… Bashar Assad has fallen! Why are you afraid?” said one of the rebels as he tried to get the women out of their small cells.

Tens of thousands of prisoners have so far been freed, said Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition war monitor based in Britain. Over the past 10 days, rebels have released prisoners in cities such as Aleppo, Homs, Hama, as well as Damascus.