Families of those imprisoned by Bashar al-Assad’s brutal regime desperately searched the filthy cells of Syria’s most notorious prison for any signs of their loved ones as the country comes to terms with the toppling of his rule.
In the Sednaya prison, referred to by rights groups as a “human slaughterhouse”, thousands of people are believed to have been detained, tortured or executed during Syria’s civil war, which began in 2011. Sitting just north of Damascus, it became the focus for hundreds of families demanding answers about what happened to their relatives.
It comes as Israel, US and Turkey also launched airstrikes against sites across the country to protect their interests after rebels, led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) forced Assad to flee, while the deposed Syrian president’s former backers Russia and Iran also suggesting they would reach out to the rebels – with Moscow wary of the fate of its military bases in the country.
At the prison, countless families were trawling dark corridors and hidden cells in the labyrinthine complex for a trace of loved ones detained for attending protests, defying authorities or simply voicing discontent.
Ahmed Najjar had come to Damascus from Aleppo, hoping to find his brother’s two children, seized by Assad’s security forces in 2012. “We’re looking. They’re saying there’s an underground prison,” he said.
In the wake of thousands spilling out of the prison having been freed on Sunday rumours had spread that thousands more inmates were still imprisoned in underground cells that could not be reached. The White Helmets rescue organisation, which for years has dug through fallen buildings after air strikes, deployed a team but on Monday afternoon they said they had yet to find a sign of such cells. Several times, a breakthrough revealed a hidden hallway, prompting bursts of gunfire from rebels to alert the thousands waiting. Cries would go up from the crowd, such as “My son, I’m coming, I’m coming” or “God, please don’t disappoint me”.
The scenes around Sednaya were a sign of the difficulties the country will have in picking itself up after decades of rule by the Assad family, while the rest of the world tries to quickly work out how to deal with the Islamist-led rebels that now control the capital.
There are fears of a power vacuum in a region that is already facing war in Gaza and a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon. Israel, involved in those conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, has seized control of a previously demilitarised buffer zone in Syrian-controlled territory in the Golan Heights and attacked what it said were Assad regime weapons depots with airstrikes.
Gideon Saar, the Israeli foreign minister, said the strikes were to stop arms falling into the hands of those would seek to harm Israel. “That’s why we attacked strategic weapons systems, for example, remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and rockets so that they will not fall in the hands of extremists,” he said. The US has struck targets associated with Isis in central Syria, while Turkey has targeted Washington-backed Kurdish forces.
The UK’s foreign secretary, David Lammy, called Assad – who the Kremlin said has been given asylum in Russia – a “monster” with “the blood of countless innocents on his hands” and that his defeat was also a “humiliation” for Moscow and Tehran.
“Assad is the rat of Damascus, fleeing to Moscow with his tail between his legs. How fitting he should end up there,” Mr Lammy said.
But Mr Lammy said that the downfall of Assad brings “no guarantee of peace” and nations have been cautious about HTS and its leader, known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, who now wants to use his formal name Ahmad al-Sharaa, given that HTS began as an offshoot of al-Qaeda. HTS cut ties with the jihadists years ago and has sought to project a more moderate image. Mr Lammy said that HTS is still a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK and the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, said no decision on removing HTS from that list is pending “at all... it is far too early”.
Mr Lammy said: “We will judge HTS by their actions, monitoring closely how they and other parties to this conflict treat all civilians in areas they control”. The foreign secretary added that the group has “offered assurances” to minorities in Syria so far and committed to co-operating with the international community on monitoring chemical weapons.
On Monday, the collection of rebel groups led by HTS announced that they will grant amnesty to all those conscripted into Assad’s army, while the rebel command also suggested they would not tell women how to dress. “It is strictly forbidden to interfere with women’s dress or impose any request related to their clothing or appearance, including requests for modesty,” the command said in a statement.
Assad’s prime minister, Mohammed Jalali, told Al Arabiya TV he had agreed to hand power to the rebels, with Al Jazeera television reported the transitional authority would be headed by Mohammed al-Bashir.
International leaders have said it is a moment of hope for Syria and this was reflected on the ground. Fares Wati, in Idlib, northwestern Syria, said: “As Syrians, this day is a historic turning point for us. Across the entire country, in cities and villages alike, Syria is experiencing an overwhelming joy it hasn’t known for decades. Today, the Syrian people have freed themselves from the grip of Assad’s rule, which for so long turned the country into his personal fiefdom.”
He added: “These historic moments restore hope to the Syrian people and open a new chapter of dignity and freedom. The joy we witness today is a testament to the resilience and determination of the Syrian people, who never lost hope for a better future.”
Ibrahim Olabi, a native of Aleppo who has family there and is on the board of the Syrian British Consortium, said that the international community now needs to step up, saying: “We need some involvement and support for Syrians to rebuild their country.”
Syrians in neighbouring nations such as Turkey, where millions fled the civil war, have been lining up at the border to return. Turkey is opening its Yayladagi border gate to manage the safe and voluntary return of Syrian migrants it hosts, Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.
The UK also announced it had paused decisions on asylum applications from Syrians. Thousands of Syrians have been granted asylum in the UK, but the Home Office said decisions on applications would now be paused while events unfold in Damascus. The UK followed countries including Germany, Austria and Sweden in suspending decisions on Syrian cases. Syrians generated the fifth largest amount of asylum claims to the UK in the year ending September 2024, Home Office statistics showed, behind Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Bangladesh.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “We know the situation in Syria is moving extremely fast after the fall of the Assad regime. We have seen some people returning to Syria. We also have a very fast-moving situation that we need to closely monitor.
“And that is why, like Germany, like France and like other countries, we have paused asylum decisions on cases from Syria while the Home Office reviews and monitors the current situation.”
Additional reporting by Abdalghany al-Aryan in Aleppo; Reuters contributed to this report; Chris Stevenson also contributed to this report
