Tadmor Prisoners Founded their Own Association

A new Association founded recently, all its members are former prisoners. Their guilt wasn't a crime but politics.

"Freemen of Tadmor Prison" - Tadmor is the Arabic name for Palmyra- is an independent social gathering combining a range of Ex-prisoners, according to Nabih Othman, General Coordinator.

'' We demand our rights through legal means and away from personal revenge'', Othman added.

Tadmor prison, 200 km northeast of Damascus, was known for harsh conditions, extensive human rights abuse, torture and summary executions. 

The main objective of the association, which founded December 2012, in Rihaniyya-Turkish border city with Syria- is inviting all "former prisoners to participate in building our free Syrian society, raise awareness and culture and qualifying for the preaching and to spread coexistence and citizenship, avoid drawing behind revenge ideas and sectarianism."

Othman continued, ''We will work with international Associations and the international human rights organizations to discuss ways to restore our rights that has been fluffed by Assad's regime (Father and the son).

Othman revealed that the door is open to all join, who imprisoned in Palmyra.

With regard to propagate of the domination of the Brotherhood Association, Othman noted that the Association doesn't belong to any particular faction but not all of the Muslim Brotherhood, but they make up 60% of them, the association is independent of any political faction"

He announced that the Association members so far about 200 candidate member of the rise, pointing out that a new trends emerged from the Association like " A Charity sun of freedom " "sun of freedom -media center" the being establish Association ''Martyrs parents and relatives.''

It's Worth mentioning, During the 1980s Tadmor prison housed thousands of Syrian prisoners, both political and criminal and it was also the scene of the June 27, 1980 Tadmor Prison massacre of prisoners by Rifaat al-Assad, the day after the Syrian branch of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood failed in an attempt to assassinate his brother, president Hafez al-Assad. Members of units of the Defence Brigades, under the command of Rifaat al-Assad, entered Tadmor Prison and killed an estimated thousand prisoners in the cells and the dormitories.

Tadmor prison was closed in 2001 and all remaining political detainees were transferred to other prisons in Syria.