Former Syrian commander accused over Sednaya detained - As-salamu alaykum
As-salamu alaykum. A former Syrian military officer who is accused of being involved in executions at the infamous Sednaya prison under the Assad era has been detained. The interior ministry says counter-terrorism units in Damascus province arrested Major General Akram Saloum Abdullah, who held several posts, including commander of the military police in 2014–2015.
The ministry states he was “implicated in committing grave violations against detainees in Sednaya prison,” and that an inquiry found him responsible for executions at the facility. Human rights groups long documented systematic torture, sexual violence and mass killings at Sednaya, and many have called for justice and accountability for those abuses.
During the previous regime, Syria’s detention system was notorious for people disappearing without a trace. Observers and monitors estimate that hundreds of thousands have gone missing or died in detention over decades. Thousands rushed to the prison when opposition forces advanced and the old regime fell, freeing many who had been held for years.
Diab Serriya, co-founder of an association documenting the abuses, said Abdullah is the highest-ranking figure arrested so far in connection with Sednaya and that the military police ran much of the prison system when he was in charge. The new government, led by President Ahmad Al Shara, has pledged to seek justice for the atrocities committed during the past rule, though many warn that all sides in the conflict committed abuses during the civil war.
May Allah grant patience to the victims and their families, and may justice be carried out fairly and in accordance with Islamic and international principles.
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