Long silenced by fear, Syrians now speak about rampant torture under Assad Handcuffed and squatting on the floor, Abdullah Zahra saw smoke rising from his cellmate’s flesh as his torturers gave him electric shocks.
After the insurgents who swept Assad out of power on Dec. 8 opened prisons and detention facilities, crowds swarmed in, searching for answers, bodies of loved ones, and ways to heal.
Some details of the accounts by those who spoke to the AP could not be independently confirmed, but they matched past reports by former detainees to human rights groups.
Torture, sexual violence and mass executions were rampant, according to rights groups and former prisoners.
The Associated Press visited seven of these facilities in Damascus and spoke to nine former detainees.
