The search operations for potential detainees in undiscovered cells and secret corridors inside Sednaya prison have ended, with no findings of any undiscovered cells or corridors.

Syria Civil Defence teams searched all sections and facilities of the prison, including its basements, yards, and outside its buildings, accompanied by individuals familiar with the prison and its details.

The teams found no evidence confirming the existence of secret basements or undiscovered sections, according to a statement from the organization early Tuesday morning, December 10.

Five specialized teams participated in the search operations, including two K9 teams (trained police dog units) and support and rescue teams.

The teams tracked all entrances, exits, ventilation openings, sewage and water pipes, electrical wires, and surveillance camera cables without finding any undiscovered basements or sections, according to the statement.

While tens of thousands of Syrians were awaiting news from Sednaya prison regarding their detained relatives (who do not know which prison their family members might be in), the Civil Defence expressed great disappointment over the thousands of detainees still missing, with their families unable to obtain any information revealing their fate.

The Civil Defence called on international specialized institutions and local authorities to support the efforts of the Syrian civil society to uncover the fate of the missing from all parties.

The search operation for potential detainees in Sednaya prison – December 9, 2024 (Enab Baladi/Dayan Junpaz)

False information threatens evidence

In the wake of the entrance of opposition fighters into Sednaya prison and the beginning of opening the cells in front of the prisoners, information spread about the existence of secret floors and hidden doors, prompting Syria Civil Defence teams to begin digging inside the prison in search of more detainees.

Over time, the search operations yielded no results, which led those working in the field to offer financial rewards to anyone providing information about secret floors in Sednaya prison.

The Civil Defence posted on Facebook an offer for those providing assistance, raising the financial reward to $5,000 for information that helps locate places of secret prisons and detention centers where detainees are held, just two days after a similar announcement.

Additionally, the Military Operations Administration, responsible for “Deterrence of Aggression” operations that toppled al-Assad’s regime, issued a similar offer on December 8, providing protection for anyone providing information, along with a “generous” reward.

Ahmad Yazji, a board member of the Syria Civil Defence, told Enab Baladi that there are no indications of any additional sections in Sednaya prison. However, the spread of rumors and civilians’ rush to dig inside the prisons will ultimately lead to the destruction of evidence that testified to the violations of Syrian rights.

He added that the rescue teams from the Civil Defence had previously brought former staff members from the prison, but they stated that there are no additional sections beyond those known in the prison.

Activists held the Military Operations Administration responsible for the chaos that occurred in the prison and various sensitive security branches and headquarters in Damascus, many of which were subjected to looting and vandalism, at a time when Syrians need to know the content of the stolen and destroyed documents in the context of achieving justice after al-Assad’s rule.

Enab Baladi learned from various sources that the Civil Defence’s search mission was complicated and took longer due to the theft of monitoring devices and screens from the prison after fighters and civilians entered the prison in the early hours of Sunday.

Prisoners’ cells in Sednaya prison – December 9, 2024 (Enab Baladi/Dayan Junpaz)

4300 detainees in Sednaya prison

The Association of Detainees and Missing Persons of Sednaya Prison (ADMSP) obtained an official document indicating that the number of prisoners, as of November 28, 2024, had reached 4300 individuals.

According to the document, which Enab Baladi obtained a copy of through the Association, the daily inspection recorded 4300 prisoners distributed as follows:

• Military field court: 1231 prisoners, one of whom was referred to the hospital.
• Terrorism court: 252 prisoners.
• Judicial court (misdemeanors and criminal charges involving a military party): 2817 prisoners, three of whom were referred to the hospital.
• Desertion trials: No prisoners.

The statistics recorded on this date indicate no cases of death.

The director of the association, Diab Serriya, confirmed in a video recording that there are no secret basements in Sednaya prison on multiple occasions, and clarified that all detainees were removed from the prison on the morning of Sunday, December 8.

The Association and its team present inside the prison had previously confirmed that it was free of detainees in all its buildings (white and red).

The Association stated yesterday that there is no truth to the reports of detainees trapped underground, and the information in some media reports is not accurate.

They added that the last detainee was released from Sednaya prison on December 8 at 11 AM.

The Association urged the families of detainees and forcibly disappeared individuals not to approach the prison, or gather inside or outside of it, as this complicates the efforts of the teams working to uncover the fate of all those missing inside.

The Association called for avoiding walking on dirt roads near the prison, or approaching the internal and external walls, and advised against sitting or walking in grassy areas as they contain anti-personnel and anti-tank mines.

Mass executions

Amnesty International documented in a report titled “Syria: Human slaughterhouse: Mass hangings and extermination at Saydnaya Prison, Syria,” published in February 2017, mass executions carried out by the Syrian regime against 13,000 detainees in Sednaya prison, most of whom were civilian opponents, between 2011 and 2015.

The organization indicated that the executions occurred weekly, or perhaps twice a week, secretly, during which groups sometimes consisting of 50 individuals were taken outside their cells and hanged to death.

Since 2011, more than 231,000 people have been killed in Syria according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), with the Syrian regime responsible for the deaths of over 86% of them.

About 157,000 individuals were reported as forcibly disappeared, while more than 15,000 individuals were killed under torture, according to documentation by the SNHR.