 | This article may be a rough translation from French. It may have been generated, in whole or in part, by a computer or by a translator without dual proficiency. (May 2022) |
Al-Khatib prison is a detention and torture center in the Muhajreen neighborhood of central Damascus, Syria.[1][2][3] It is operated by Branch 251 of the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate.[4]
Al-Khatib, like many prisons under the regime of Bashar al-Assad, is known from testimonies given by former detainees and survivors who recount the poor conditions and use of systematic and generalized torture that included rape and sexual violence. A significant number of deaths occurred due to this, some of which have been identified in the pictures taken by photographer César. During the Syrian civil war the prison held demonstrators, political prisoners, and human rights activists.
Anwar Raslan, a former Syrian colonel who was convicted of crimes against humanity in Germany, was in command of Branch 251 that managed the prison.[5]
- ^ "Center for Documentation of Violations in Syria - Report on Khateeb Branch- State Security". www.vdc-sy.info. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
- ^ "Torture and death: Life in al-Khateeb detention center". Syria Direct. 2020-04-29. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
- ^ "'Physical evidence' of killings presented at Syrian officials' trial in Germany". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
- ^ "Syria's Al-Khatib prison was like hell, says survivor". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
- ^ "German court to issue verdict against former Syrian intelligence officer". the Guardian. 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-05-14.