DAMASCUS

Druze residents in the Syrian capital of Damascus held a memorial for relatives who were killed at the Sednaya Prison, a notorious detention facility.

Following the fall of the Assad regime, a group of Druze discovered through official documents that their loved ones had died in the prison, which is considered one of the regime's main torture centers.

The documents recovered from Sednaya revealed that many prisoners had perished due to systematic torture by regime authorities.

In response, the Druze community gathered in Jaramana to hold a memorial service for the victims. Many carried photographs of deceased relatives.

The gathering also served as a protest against the regime, with participants condemning atrocities committed at the prison where thousands were detained and tortured for years under the regime's rule.

A 2017 report by Amnesty International called Sednaya a "slaughterhouse," documenting abuse against detainees, including rape, torture and executions.

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.

The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters captured key cities in a lightning offensive that lasted less than two weeks.​​​​​​​