"4 Years in the Hell of Sednaya" is part of the "From Syria" digital show. This episode emphasizes the dire circumstances of Syrian displaced people and detainees. It documents the disappearance of Nouri Hamoud Al-Saray, a Syrian man who spent almost 4 years in Saydnaya jail, the physical and psychological abuse he endured, and the denial of his most basic needs. We recorded Nouri's story from the same chamber in the Saydnaya prison near the countryside of Damascus.
The story amassed 15.8 million views and 175.5 thousand interactions on all Al Jazeera Arabic digital platforms.
One prison after another was liberated by the rebels following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government. The "Human Slaughterhouse," or "Sednaya jail", was a military jail and extermination camp situated north of Damascus, the capital of Syria.
Thousands of inmates, including political detainees, regime opponents, and civilians, were kept there since 1987. It is regarded as one of the most dangerous jails in history and the most secret and brutal prison in Syria. Our team went straight to the prison after several inmates were released since the digital newsroom team always aims to report the truth from the place it happens. While searching for human stories that should be documented, our team encountered numerous challenges. One of these challenges was the unorganized detainee release based on the situation Syria was in following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's government.
After the majority of the prisoners left for their towns and villages, the team also had trouble locating them. Even after the regime collapsed, the released inmates were reluctant to talk to the media for fear of reprisals. Furthermore, the scenes from within Sednaya prison were really harsh. In addition to the difficulty of production inside the prison owing to the absence of water and electricity, the inmates' clothing, their memories etched on the walls, and the stench of death are the least terrible things that can be mentioned.
The overwhelming number of families looking for any information that could help them locate their missing relatives made it challenging for us to record the episode. Nouri describes the pain and humiliation he endured while in jail, as well as the difficulties he had getting food and water. He concludes by sharing his emotions when it was announced that the Jail would be freed from the rule of the former dictatorship.
Total views: 15.8M
Total interactions: 175.5K
