Inside the hunt for hidden cells in Sednaya prison, Syria's 'human slaughterhouse'

The celebrations in Damascus were interrupted by a whisper.

On the outskirts of the city, a door had been found. Beyond it lay a vast underground complex, five storeys deep, containing the last prisoners of the Assad regime, who were gasping for air.

Cars raced towards Sednaya prison, locally known as “the human slaughterhouse”, the most notorious torture complex of the Syrian government’s vast network of detention centres.

The Guardian followed as traffic came to a standstill and rumours were passed between lowered windows: there were 1,500 prisoners trapped underground that needed rescuing; perhaps your loved ones are among them. Cars were ditched by the roadside and people began to walk.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/09/inside-sednaya-torture-prison-syria-assad