Turkish AFAD to send search, rescue team to Sednaya military prison in Syria
Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) vehicles are heading to Sednaya military prison in Syria. (AA Photo)
December 16, 2024 01:02 PM GMT+03:00
The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) has announced plans to send a search and rescue team to Syria's Sednaya military prison.
The facility, located 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) north of Damascus, has been notorious for its history of human rights abuses, particularly during the regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) vehicles are heading to Sednaya military prison in Syria. (AA Photo)
Search and rescue mission at Sednaya military prison
According to a statement released by AFAD on Sunday, a specialized team of 80 personnel will be dispatched to Sednaya to conduct a search for individuals believed to be trapped in the prison. The team is equipped with advanced rescue and scanning technology to carry out detailed search operations at the site.
AFAD confirmed that the team would arrive in Syria on Monday and begin their operations immediately. According to the latest reports, the team already crossed the Türkiye-Syria border and made their way to the Sednaya prison.
DAMASCUS, SYRIA - DECEMBER 10: An interior view from "White Building" also called as the execution block of Sednaya Prison, infamous for torture under the toppled Bashar al-Assad regime in Damascus, Syria on December 10, 2024. The Sednaya Military Prison, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Damascus, became a site for mass executions and torture after 2011, with thousands killed and subjected to inhumane conditions. ( Emin Sansar - Anadolu Agency )DAMASCUS, SYRIA - DECEMBER 10: An interior view from "White Building" also called as the execution block of Sednaya Prison, infamous for torture under the toppled Bashar al-Assad regime in Damascus, Syria on December 10, 2024. The Sednaya Military Prison, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Damascus, became a site for mass executions and torture after 2011, with thousands killed and subjected to inhumane conditions. ( Emin Sansar - Anadolu Agency )DAMASCUS, SYRIA - DECEMBER 10: An interior view from "White Building" also called as the execution block of Sednaya Prison, infamous for torture under the toppled Bashar al-Assad regime in Damascus, Syria on December 10, 2024. The Sednaya Military Prison, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Damascus, became a site for mass executions and torture after 2011, with thousands killed and subjected to inhumane conditions. ( Emin Sansar - Anadolu Agency )DAMASCUS, SYRIA - DECEMBER 10: Families continue to wait inside and outside Sednaya Prison, infamous for torture under the toppled Bashar al-Assad regime in Damascus, Syria on December 10, 2024. ( Emin Sansar - Anadolu Agency )
Sednaya prison's dark history
Sednaya prison, often referred to as the "human slaughterhouse," gained infamy for its role in holding prisoners of conscience, including activists and demonstrators opposed to the Syrian regime.
Many of those imprisoned in Sednaya were reportedly subjected to severe torture, and the facility has long been described as one of the most notorious prisons in the country.
While AFAD did not specify the exact number of people still believed to be trapped within the prison, it was suggested that the mission's goal is to locate and rescue individuals who may have been caught during the regime's crackdown in recent years.
December 16, 2024 01:02 PM GMT+03:00
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