After being raped by security, activist deludes family that she killed

Writing by Lama Shammas; Translation by Yusra Ahmed

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Lama, a 24-year-old young lady from Hama, decided to announce herself dead after being raped in Syrian regime prison, wishing she can protect her family from the pain they could feel if they knew the truth.

Lama, who studied Law, refused to let anyone to know her, and she has distanced herself from people after releasing her from prison.

She detailed her painful story to Zaman al-Wasl from her friend’s phone to avoid knowing her.

“In 2013, one of my relatives get arrested and transferred from Hama to Damascus, I went with my brother to the State Security Branch to ask about him, then I was asked to enter the branch in order to see him, but in reality I was arrested” Lama started her story. She carried on that they took all her documents, and started asking her about her family and father, who was a former journalist and political prisoner.

“Then they took me to the basement, where I saw girls with horrible marks and signs of torture on their faces and bodies” carried on painfully.

In the next day, according to Lama, she was called for interrogation, but the interrogator started harassing her then demanded her to take her clothes off.

“I begged him, kissed his feet hoping he would not rape me, I told him that I was virgin, but he replied coldly: that's better”

She was raped many times for a week, and then she was transferred to Adra prison under accusation of terrorism, to stay there for 7 months.

Lama revealed that interrogator was called Nawras, and she would not forget his face, as she frequently sees him in her nightmares.

“After I was raped, I was ashamed and decided not the let my parents to know that because I do not want them to feel humiliated” added.

When she was released via an exchange deal with rebels, she decided to consider herself dead, and to inform her family that she was killed under torture.

Lama moved to Turkey with her friend Farah, the only one who knows her secret. Now she works on cleaning dishes in a restaurant. She does her best to avoid letting anyone from her family or friends to know that she is still alive.

Lama is a member of revolutionary family from Hama, her father worked as a journalist in Eighties of last century, and witnessed crimes and Hama’s massacre in 1982. He was detained for 6 years, to be freed in 1991, when Lama was born.