Syria Apprehends Sednaya Prison Guard Linked to Assad-Era Atrocities

(MENAFN) Syrian authorities have apprehended a former guard at the infamous Sednaya Military Prison, the Interior Ministry announced Friday, in the latest step toward accountability for abuses committed under the Assad regime.

Internal security forces moved to "arrest former military police sergeant Mahrez," the ministry said, identifying the suspect as Mohammad Imad Mahrez, a former Syrian military police sergeant. He "worked as a prison guard at Sednaya Military Prison since 2015 under the ousted regime," according to the ministry, which added that investigators are now working to establish the full extent of his conduct before pursuing legal proceedings.

Located north of the capital Damascus, Sednaya became one of Syria's most feared detention facilities following the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011, when it was repurposed into a mass detention center for regime opponents. The prison has been extensively documented by international human rights bodies for systematic torture and abuse. A 2017 Amnesty International report concluded that approximately 13,000 people were secretly executed within its walls between 2011 and 2015.

The arrest comes months after the collapse of Bashar Assad's government. Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December 2024, ending six decades of Baath Party rule dating back to 1963. A transitional administration under President Ahmad al-Sharaa was subsequently formed in January 2025.

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