After 45 years, the son learned the fate of his imprisoned father from Zaman al-Wasl documents.

Ever since Issam began to realize what was happening around him, he has been searching for any trace of his father, Khaled Hassan Madkouk, who was arrested by Hafez al-Assad's regime in Raqqa in 1980.

The father disappeared, and his son continued to search tirelessly until he contacted Zaman al-Wasl a few days ago, and we asked him to search the execution logs of the Tadmur Military Prison (1980-1985).

And here came the surprise: his father was executed the same year as his arrest, pursuant to Order No. 4 (implemented but not circulated). As usual, the Assad regime did not inform his family, and his father, 30 years old, was buried in a mass grave likely in the Tadmur desert.

Issam says that his uncle was also arrested in 1984, but no trace of him has been found to date.

Al-Hussein Al-Shishakli