(By Faris al-Rifai; Translation by Yusra Ahmed)
A former prisoner in Sweida prison spoke about the difficult circumstances and hard conditions prisoners face in their daily life.
Prisoners are blackmailed by the prison’s officers and have their money taken away or paying off some of it.
Abu Ali, the former prisoner told Zaman al-Wasl that prisoners do not have enough food, as all they have less than a glass of rice, which force them to buy food like bread and vegetables from the prison’s shop, which is run by prisoners, but in reality they are owned by the prisoner’s manager.
Abu Ali said that most products in prison’s shops are much more expensive than usual.
The other problem facing prisoners is seizing their money, as when officers know that a prisoner has money, they call him for investigation and force him to pay off monthly amount of money to them and the prisoner's manager.
“Moreover, punishment and intimidation face everyone lend money to other prisoners, as both the lender and the borrowers are called for investigation and might face funding terrorism accusation and punished with spending some days in the singular cell”, the former prisoner detailed.
Abu Ali told Zaman al-Wasl an incident about a prisoner who bought many cans of sardine and tuna, but administration in Sweida prison seized them under accusation of monopoly to raise prices.
Deprivation is not strict to food for prisoners, they are prevented of practicing their spiritual habits like praying and reading in Quran, as each Quran see in prisoners’ hand is subject to be seized, and it recorded that about 200 Quran books are seized in the prison because shops in prison are owned by the prison’s manager, clothes, blankets and beads are not allowed to enter the prison by the prisoners’ families, in order to sell those things in the prison’s shops at high prices.
Abu Ali added that because Sweida’s weather is cold even in summer, many prisoners suffer of diseases caused by cold, and no one care about providing them medication and treatment, and many of them cannot afford to buy blankets from the prison’s shops.
The former prisoner added that Sweida prison had become a source of money for the officers, for example, a prisoner gave the colonel in the prison 400 thousand Syrian Pounds to issue a remission for the prisoners in singular cells. “Even anyone tries to help the poor prisoners who don’t have a family to support them, they are accused of funding terrorism”
Abu Ali mentioned that most prisoners are not from Sweida, but were brought from other cities especially the central prison of Damascus to prevent possible disobedience or because of overcrowding, all that affect prisoners and reduce their parents’ visits because of the long and dangerous journey to Sweida.
“The difficult circumstances for prisoners in Sweida increase when they are transferred to Damascus central prison to attend court settings as they go though hard journey full of humiliation and stress” Abu Ali added.
Sweida prison hosts hundreds of prisoners who are transferred from the field military court and terrorism courts, small number are transferred are transferred from the military and civil courts, and they receive humiliating and cruel treatment from jailers.
A former prisoner in Sweida prison spoke about the difficult circumstances and hard conditions prisoners face in their daily life.
Prisoners are blackmailed by the prison’s officers and have their money taken away or paying off some of it.
Abu Ali, the former prisoner told Zaman al-Wasl that prisoners do not have enough food, as all they have less than a glass of rice, which force them to buy food like bread and vegetables from the prison’s shop, which is run by prisoners, but in reality they are owned by the prisoner’s manager.
Abu Ali said that most products in prison’s shops are much more expensive than usual.
The other problem facing prisoners is seizing their money, as when officers know that a prisoner has money, they call him for investigation and force him to pay off monthly amount of money to them and the prisoner's manager.
“Moreover, punishment and intimidation face everyone lend money to other prisoners, as both the lender and the borrowers are called for investigation and might face funding terrorism accusation and punished with spending some days in the singular cell”, the former prisoner detailed.
Abu Ali told Zaman al-Wasl an incident about a prisoner who bought many cans of sardine and tuna, but administration in Sweida prison seized them under accusation of monopoly to raise prices.
Deprivation is not strict to food for prisoners, they are prevented of practicing their spiritual habits like praying and reading in Quran, as each Quran see in prisoners’ hand is subject to be seized, and it recorded that about 200 Quran books are seized in the prison because shops in prison are owned by the prison’s manager, clothes, blankets and beads are not allowed to enter the prison by the prisoners’ families, in order to sell those things in the prison’s shops at high prices.
Abu Ali added that because Sweida’s weather is cold even in summer, many prisoners suffer of diseases caused by cold, and no one care about providing them medication and treatment, and many of them cannot afford to buy blankets from the prison’s shops.
The former prisoner added that Sweida prison had become a source of money for the officers, for example, a prisoner gave the colonel in the prison 400 thousand Syrian Pounds to issue a remission for the prisoners in singular cells. “Even anyone tries to help the poor prisoners who don’t have a family to support them, they are accused of funding terrorism”
Abu Ali mentioned that most prisoners are not from Sweida, but were brought from other cities especially the central prison of Damascus to prevent possible disobedience or because of overcrowding, all that affect prisoners and reduce their parents’ visits because of the long and dangerous journey to Sweida.
“The difficult circumstances for prisoners in Sweida increase when they are transferred to Damascus central prison to attend court settings as they go though hard journey full of humiliation and stress” Abu Ali added.
Sweida prison hosts hundreds of prisoners who are transferred from the field military court and terrorism courts, small number are transferred are transferred from the military and civil courts, and they receive humiliating and cruel treatment from jailers.
Zaman Al Wasl
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