Renowned Syrian activist Mazn al-Hamada, who once escaped Syria to share the story of his torture at the hands of the Assad regime, has been found dead in one of Damascus’ prisons.
Converging reports stated that Hamada was still alive until moments before the fall of the Assad regime in recent days, narrowly missing his last chance at freedom. Hamada’s body was discovered inside the Sednaya prison on the outskirts of Damascus, containing prisoners of the Assad regime.
The activist had been detained numerous times, firstly in 2011 following Arab Spring protests against Bashar al-Assad’s regime. After his release in 2013 and was granted asylum in the Netherlands in 2014.
Hamada was featured in a documentary describing the torture and violence he was subjected to while in Sendaya prison, which is locally known as “the human slaughterhouse.”
In the documentary entitled “Syria’s Disappeared,” he showed signs of distress while talking about the torture he endured; his body was covered in scars, his eyes were sunken, and his cheeks were hollow.
To the shock and confusion of his friends, Hamada decided to return to Syria in 2020, under the false pretense that he would not face arrest. He was immediately arrested once more, and news of him vanished.
Hamada was “disappeared,” a term commonly used in Syria to refer to the hundreds of thousands of anti-Assad protesters who get arrested, tortured, and detained in hidden chambers covered in black mold and devoid of sunlight.
Details of “the human slaughterhouse” have come to light following the overthrow of Bashar Al Assad’s government.
A video reported by The Guardian revealed dozens of hidden torture chambers in Sednaya prison. Many women prisoners shared stories of repeated rape and unwanted pregnancies at the hands of prison guards.