With overthrow of Assad regime, Syrian Canadian recalls 20 years of ‘torment’ inside its prisons

Nabil Hawara’s harrowing tale of torture and suffering in Syria’s Tadmur Military Prison is a stark reminder of the brutal regime that ruled the country for decades. From beatings with iron bars and whips to guards urinating in food bowls, the atrocities committed against him and other prisoners are almost too horrific to comprehend.

For 20 long years, from 1975 to 1995, Hawara lived in a constant state of fear and agony. The prison’s infamous “torture program” subjected him to unimaginable pain and suffering on a daily basis. Guards would mercilessly beat inmates, sometimes using sticks embedded with nails or belts made from tires with metal inside. The sounds of screams and cries echoed through the walls of the prison, a constant reminder of the brutality that awaited each day.

The prison’s location, mere meters away from a high school and playground, added to the horror of the situation. Children would pass by, too afraid to even look at the facility, knowing the horrors that lay within. The juxtaposition of such cruelty against the backdrop of everyday life is a chilling reminder of the normalization of violence in a dictatorship.

Hawara’s escape to Canada as a refugee in 2013 offered him a chance at a new life, far from the horrors of his past. However, the memories of his time in Tadmur continue to haunt him. The physical and psychological scars left by years of torture are a constant reminder of the inhumanity he endured.

The destruction of Tadmur Military Prison by ISIS in 2015 may have brought an end to the physical structure, but the memories of the atrocities committed within its walls will forever linger. The uncovering of Syria’s vast network of prisons and detention facilities in the wake of the Assad regime’s fall sheds light on the extent of the horrors that were inflicted upon countless individuals.

As the world learns more about the atrocities committed in Syria’s prisons, it is crucial to remember the stories of survivors like Nabil Hawara. Their resilience in the face of unimaginable suffering serves as a testament to the enduring human spirit. It is only through sharing these stories and seeking justice for the victims that we can hope to prevent such atrocities from ever happening again.