Asharq Documentary Exposes the Hidden Truths and Horrors of Syria’s Infamous Sednaya Prison Through the Eyes of Survivors

Asharq Documentary releases its latest original film “Beyond Sednaya”, the first to document the stories of Sednaya prisoners after the fall of the Assad regime, giving a glimpse behind its prison doors.
Spanning 60 minutes, “Beyond Sednaya” presents testimonies recounted by prisoners who endured unimaginable torture, and sheds light on the heartbreaking suffering of families desperately searching for the remains of their loved ones. Asharq Documentary chronicles the traumatic history of Sednaya Military Prison, from the 1980s to the momentous liberation on December 8, 2024, and the subsequent release of detainees, uncovering the untold stories that had been hidden within the prison’s walls for decades.”The horrors experienced by detainees in Sednaya Prison strongly epitomize the Syrian regime’s philosophy of stripping Syrians of their humanity.” said Syrian lawyer Anwar al-Bunni, who wasimprisoned multiple times.
Asharq Documentary’s camera infiltrated cells and execution rooms, to capture the suffering of tens of thousands of detainees and met with Mohammed Khalil, a survivor of Sednaya, who recounted his detention period. “They would demand we remain silent about the corpse of one of our cellmates. They required two or three bodies before we could request their removal from the dormitory. Often, I slept here next to a lifeless body.” Mohammed recalled, of his harrowing experience.
“Beyond Sednaya” traced the bodies of detainees who died from torture or execution, leading to mass graves where the regime buried layers of bodies one on top of another. The film also chronicles the full story of renowned Syrian prisoner Mazen Hamada, whom the regime pursued to the Netherlands, after he sought asylum to escape the horrors of prison and torture, with the regime eventually luring him back to Damascus to arrest him once more in Sednaya.
Mohammed Alyousei, General Manager of Asharq Documentary, commented: “Through this film, we open a rare window to shed light on what transpired in one of the world’s most brutal places,” noting that “this exclusive production is not just a documentary, but a humanitarian testimony highlighting the suffering and injustice endured by millions of Syrians.”
Audiences can watch “Beyond Sednaya” free-to-view on Asharq Documentary via satellite on Arabsat and Nilesat, through the video-on-demand service “NOW” https://now.asharq.com/ and on the channel’s social media accounts.