Writing by Faris al-Rifai
(Zaman Al Wasl)- Nidal Nour-Eddin Mahmood, a young man in his twenties from Bosra al-Harir spoke about his 4-year-hard experience in Syrian intelligence prisons, that started in 2012, ended up in 2016 when the Islamic State attacked the brutal prison on Palmyra.
Nidal lives now in Irbid city in northern Jordan, he told Zaman Al Wasl that he was arrested at the barrier of Bosra al-Harir village in Horan, and was taken to serve in the mandatory conscription although he was not required for the military service. Then he was taken to the military police in Sheikh Miskeen then to military police branch in Kaboun in Damascus. To follow with transferring him to the recruited gathering in Nabek in Damascus countryside. After 3 months of training, he was allocated to serve at a barrier at Homs-Palmyra route.
In 2012, when the Syrian regime committed crimes in Baba-Amr, he with few members decided to defect from the army with their full ammunition. They coordinated with many officers but one officer who claimed joining them, was an informer and reported them the military security.
“Few hours before the final countdown, we were surprised by many vehicles of the military security attended and arrested my friends, when I finished my guarding shift, they came to me and wanted to arrest me, when I was injured by shooting me in shoulder”, Nidal detailed.
Nidal continued that he was taken to branch 261 of military security, he was put in a cell of 2 square meter area, then he was taken to an interrogator called Abo Joney who accused him of communication with terrorists and attempting defection besides receiving SYP 50 thousand from terrorists and other accusations which he rejected them all. “That provoked a member who hit me with a cudgel on my head and another with a pick on my chest causing deep wound”.
Nidal continued that they took him to small room with 13 cubicle those dying prisoners were put in, and when one died, he was sent to rubbish chopper then he sent to rubbish landfills or mass graves.
8 days later, Nidal was presented to investigation again, when he denied charges, he was hanged from his hands in the main square for 4 days without food or drink, then he was sent to a singular cubicle. “a prisoner told me that I was in a state of fatigue and faint, then guards started waking me up, first by pouring water, then by the electrical stick, to follow with electricity generator when they connected cables to my toes which was successful in the waking me up.”
A month and 5 days later, he was transferred to court and was faced with the same charges. He denied them all. But he was transferred to Palmyra military prison, and spent 3 years there. The prison used to be known as “the desert prison.”
Nidal described the prison: “there was a dormitory for military soldiers who run away from the army or who refused joining the army, and other dormitories for different categories. The fifth square allocated for executing political prisoners”.
When Nidal first arrived, he was welcomed with 200 lashes, he fainted after few ones, then he was sent to dormitory 43 in the sixth square.
In 2012 and 2013, the free Syrian Army attacked the prison many times to free prisoners, which encouraged prisoners to revolt and protest inside the prison, but they were faced with hard attacks of hitting, direct shooting and tear bombs. After controlling revolts, prisoners were prevented from going outdoor for two years.
In the end of 2015, the Islamic State attacked Palmyra prison, then he with his friends were gathered in a square and put in a the prison’s van and transferred to al-Balona in Homs.
Nidal was released on May 20, 2016. It was one of the happiest moments in his parents’ lives, when they discovered he was alive, as they thought he was killed in exploding the prison.
(Zaman Al Wasl)- Nidal Nour-Eddin Mahmood, a young man in his twenties from Bosra al-Harir spoke about his 4-year-hard experience in Syrian intelligence prisons, that started in 2012, ended up in 2016 when the Islamic State attacked the brutal prison on Palmyra.
Nidal lives now in Irbid city in northern Jordan, he told Zaman Al Wasl that he was arrested at the barrier of Bosra al-Harir village in Horan, and was taken to serve in the mandatory conscription although he was not required for the military service. Then he was taken to the military police in Sheikh Miskeen then to military police branch in Kaboun in Damascus. To follow with transferring him to the recruited gathering in Nabek in Damascus countryside. After 3 months of training, he was allocated to serve at a barrier at Homs-Palmyra route.
In 2012, when the Syrian regime committed crimes in Baba-Amr, he with few members decided to defect from the army with their full ammunition. They coordinated with many officers but one officer who claimed joining them, was an informer and reported them the military security.
“Few hours before the final countdown, we were surprised by many vehicles of the military security attended and arrested my friends, when I finished my guarding shift, they came to me and wanted to arrest me, when I was injured by shooting me in shoulder”, Nidal detailed.
Nidal continued that he was taken to branch 261 of military security, he was put in a cell of 2 square meter area, then he was taken to an interrogator called Abo Joney who accused him of communication with terrorists and attempting defection besides receiving SYP 50 thousand from terrorists and other accusations which he rejected them all. “That provoked a member who hit me with a cudgel on my head and another with a pick on my chest causing deep wound”.
Nidal continued that they took him to small room with 13 cubicle those dying prisoners were put in, and when one died, he was sent to rubbish chopper then he sent to rubbish landfills or mass graves.
8 days later, Nidal was presented to investigation again, when he denied charges, he was hanged from his hands in the main square for 4 days without food or drink, then he was sent to a singular cubicle. “a prisoner told me that I was in a state of fatigue and faint, then guards started waking me up, first by pouring water, then by the electrical stick, to follow with electricity generator when they connected cables to my toes which was successful in the waking me up.”
A month and 5 days later, he was transferred to court and was faced with the same charges. He denied them all. But he was transferred to Palmyra military prison, and spent 3 years there. The prison used to be known as “the desert prison.”
Nidal described the prison: “there was a dormitory for military soldiers who run away from the army or who refused joining the army, and other dormitories for different categories. The fifth square allocated for executing political prisoners”.
When Nidal first arrived, he was welcomed with 200 lashes, he fainted after few ones, then he was sent to dormitory 43 in the sixth square.
In 2012 and 2013, the free Syrian Army attacked the prison many times to free prisoners, which encouraged prisoners to revolt and protest inside the prison, but they were faced with hard attacks of hitting, direct shooting and tear bombs. After controlling revolts, prisoners were prevented from going outdoor for two years.
In the end of 2015, the Islamic State attacked Palmyra prison, then he with his friends were gathered in a square and put in a the prison’s van and transferred to al-Balona in Homs.
Nidal was released on May 20, 2016. It was one of the happiest moments in his parents’ lives, when they discovered he was alive, as they thought he was killed in exploding the prison.
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