Mohammad Shukri Sheikhani, a former detainee who spent six years in Syrian prisons, has detailed the harsh conditions and systematic abuse he endured under the regime of Bashar Assad. Speaking at the Arab Cultural Center in Damascus during the “Memory of the Damascus Revolution” lecture series, Sheikhani sought to document the experiences of Syrians imprisoned by the government and to ensure these accounts are preserved.
Sheikhani provided a comprehensive account of his detention, which began with his arrest and interrogation at various security branches, including the notorious Palestine Branch, before being transferred to Saydnaya prison. He described a detention process marked by widespread physical and psychological torture, humiliation, and degrading treatment aimed at breaking prisoners’ spirits. According to Sheikhani, interrogations relied heavily on fabricated charges, intimidation, and coercive tactics to force confessions, while detainees were routinely denied basic human rights.
The abuse, he said, was part of a broader system of repression maintained across detention facilities. Sheikhani also emphasized the significant toll endured not only by prisoners but by their families. Relatives reportedly spent years seeking information on their detained loved ones, frequently facing dead ends at government offices and security agencies. He recounted instances of financial extortion, where families were pressured to pay sums of money in exchange for promises of information or improvements in detention conditions. This created additional economic and psychological burdens for already distressed families.
A notable part of Sheikhani’s testimony focused on the 2008 uprising at Saydnaya prison, which he described as a pivotal moment in the institution’s history. During the six-month-long confrontation, authorities employed harsh punitive measures, including prolonged deprivation of food, water, and electricity, to suppress detainee resistance and inflict psychological distress. Sheikhani said the impact of this episode continued to affect prisoners long after the unrest was quelled.
His testimony contributes to the ongoing effort to document human rights abuses carried out under the Assad regime and to shed light on the experiences of those who have suffered in Syrian detention centers.