•  Prison director told me: ‘Forget your name. Just remember the number you are given. My name was 49,'
• Motasem Kattan tells Anadolu- Prisoners were given little food or water, often surviving on half a piece of flatbread a day
• 'We would hear the screams of women. They were subjected to rape', Kattan recalls horror in prison

DAMASCUS 

A survivor of the Syrian regime's notorious prisons has spoken out about the brutal treatment he endured during nearly 1.5 years of captivity, shedding light on systematic torture, starvation, and coerced confessions under Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

Motasem Kattan, a father of one, was among thousands of Syrians detained during Syria’s civil war, which began in 2011.

Many detainees faced abuse and death in facilities operated by the regime. Kattan, freed after the Assad regime’s collapse in November, shared his harrowing story with Anadolu.  

‘Forget your name, remember number 49’

Kattan said he turned himself in September 2023 to benefit from a regime amnesty, expecting to be released after processing. Instead, he was taken to the "Palestine Branch," a facility infamous for torture.

"The director (of the prison) told me: ‘Now you will go inside and forget your name. Just remember the number you are given.’ They gave me the number 49. My name remained 49,” Kattan said, recounting how detainees were stripped of their identities to break them mentally as well as physically.

The Palestine Branch, he said, was known for its brutal torture. "We had heard that those who left were either dead, broken, or had lost their memories."

In his six-hour-long first interrogation, Kattan was handcuffed, suspended from a wall, and beaten up to force a false confession.

"By the third session, they accused me of financing terrorism," he said. "I told them, ‘I’m 25; how could I fund terrorism when I can’t even afford diapers for my child?’ They didn’t believe me and tortured me again, pulling out my nails."

Eventually, Kattan said he could no longer endure the abuse. "I told them, ‘I’ll confess to whatever you want.’ They made me sign a document under duress."  

Dire conditions in prison

Kattan described his cell, about two square meters, as "catastrophic." He said prisoners were given little food or water, often surviving on half a piece of flatbread a day.

"That small portion of bread felt like a feast," he said.

After two months, Kattan was moved to another ward with 150 prisoners crammed together. The lack of air, sunlight, and sanitation caused diseases, leading to many deaths. Guards ignored the dead, mocking the prisoners instead.

"When someone died, it could take days to remove the body," Kattan said. "They would mock us, saying: ‘Look how this dog died.’"  

Women suffered sexual violence

He said interrogations for women took place at night, and their screams echoed through the prison.

"We would hear the screams of women. They were subjected to rape, and we heard that some became pregnant as a result of these assaults,” he recounted.

Kattan further stated that a room was prepared next to the women's detention ward for childbirth, equipped with a bed and a doctor.

The victim recounted the days leading to his release, as opposition groups advanced against regime forces.

"One guard told us the situation outside was dire. Armed groups had taken control of Aleppo and nearby villages," he said.

One night, gunfire erupted near the prison. Armed groups entered, announcing the detainees' freedom.

Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.  

Reuniting with family

After his release, Kattan contacted his father, Mohammed.

"When I saw him, I didn’t recognize him. He was so thin, he couldn’t walk," the father said, recalling how he carried his son to the hospital.

Back home, Kattan struggled to adapt. "He still thought he was in the cell, repeating routines like measuring his food and changing his clothes," Mohammed said.

Kattan’s mother, Sena, said she barely recognized him. "He looked so exhausted and changed that I thought, ‘This can’t be my son.’" 

*Writing by Seda Sevencan​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ in Istanbul