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May 23, 2026 – Syria –
Syrian authorities have arrested a former military police sergeant who worked as a guard and jailer at the notorious Sednaya Military Prison during the rule of former President Bashar al-Assad. Syria’s Interior Ministry announced that Mohammad Imad Mahrez was captured by internal security forces and is now under investigation for alleged crimes connected to the prison, which became internationally known for torture, executions, and severe human rights abuses.
According to the Interior Ministry, Mahrez served at Sednaya prison beginning in 2015 under the former Syrian government. Officials said investigators are examining allegations linked to his conduct at the prison and determining what legal measures may follow. The arrest is part of broader efforts by Syria’s transitional authorities to pursue former officials accused of abuses during Assad’s decades-long rule.
Sednaya prison, located north of Damascus, became one of the most feared detention centers in Syria after the outbreak of the Syrian uprising in 2011. Thousands of political prisoners, activists, journalists, and civilians accused of opposing the government were reportedly detained there. Human rights organizations repeatedly documented allegations of torture, starvation, enforced disappearances, and mass executions carried out inside the facility.
A 2017 report by Amnesty International estimated that as many as 13,000 people were secretly executed at Sednaya between 2011 and 2015. The prison was widely described by rights groups as a “human slaughterhouse” because of the scale of alleged abuses committed against detainees.
The arrest follows a series of operations targeting former Assad-era security officials since the collapse of the government in December 2024, when Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia after nearly 25 years in power. A transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was later formed in early 2025. Authorities have since launched investigations into detention centers, massacres, and alleged war crimes committed during the Syrian civil war.
Recent arrests have included former military intelligence officers and prison officials accused of overseeing executions, torture, and disappearances. Rights groups and victims’ families continue demanding broader accountability and international prosecutions for crimes committed in Syria’s prison system during the conflict.
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