(By Lama Shammas; Translation by Yusra Ahmed)
Hassan, 25, still suffer the side effects of his gruesome detention despite 18 months that have passed since his release, he told Zaman al-Wasl.
Hassan, who preferred not to reveal his last name, has a terrible psychological effects after his detention in regime’s prison.
The torture memo, which will not be forgotten for Hassan, was when the jailer snuff out a cigarette in one of his eyes.
“Because I am from Bab Seba’a neighborhood of Homs, I had been arrested, then I was brought to the military security branch in Homs where I was hanged from my arms for three days even without interrogated me”, Hassan details his arresting.
Hassan carried on explaining that his pain and suffering of torture was nothing compared to the pain and agony he felt toward Mohammed, a young man who was tortured till his body was covered with wounds which got infected and left without treatment, he stayed among prisoners struggling to death, even when he died, his body was kept among them in the crowded cell and stayed there till Hassan was freed. Then Hassan had to tell Mohammed’s parents about his death under torture.
“Although I only spent one month in prison, but I felt them longer than a thousand year, I cannot find words to describe what I have seen, for example, a young man with 7 bullets in his body, was interrogated and tortured till death” details.
Luckily, Hassan was freed as part of a deal between Hassan’s neighborhood’s prominent figures and the officer responsible in the military security branch, where he was freed for a payment of 1.5 million Syrian pound.
However, Hassan stayed imprisoned in his eye’s deformation, and painful memories and experience he had during his one month’s detention.
“Flashbacks of Mohammed’s body and my deformed eye spoil my days and prevent me from sleeping” explains.
Hassan explained that a doctor called “Amin Halawani” in al-Hamra neighborhood used to treat prisoners after freeing them, besides negotiation with the regime about exchange and freeing deals.
“Dr. Halawani used to make humanitarian deals with regime, but financially, each branch has its dealers who negotiate with prisoners’ families, for example, Abdo Ayyob, the son of the former head of the state’s security branch used to make deals with families to free their relatives”, Hassan adds.
Hassan explained that as soon as he was freed, he moved to Lebanon, then to Egypt, but his detention prevented him from leading normal life, as he stayed at home for a year and a half and refused to see anybody, however when he gathered his power to get out the house, he was shocked from seeing tanks in streets in Egypt after Sisi’s coup, which caused him relapse in his condition, but then he moved to Turkey and got support and now he is trying to have as normal life as possible.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights, in report issued last September, said at least 215,000 people were arrested by Syrian security since the revolution erupted in March 2011. (4,500 of them are women and 9,000 are less than 18).
The report said 2630 detainees were tortured to death, and 70,000 cases documented as enforced disappearance.
More than 220,000 people have been killed in Syria since the revolt against Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011, the United Nations says.
Zaman Al Wasl
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