The Bruised Bodies of Assad’s Victims Are Finally Found
In the morgue of Mujtahid Hospital in Damascus, Syria, the bruised and battered bodies of the regime’s last victims are laid out for identification. The bodies, which were found in a military hospital, are believed to be among the last of the brutal regime of former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Crowds of desperate people wait to see the bodies, hoping to find answers about the fate of their loved ones. Many have been searching for their missing family members for years, with some having waited as long as 14 years. The bodies are identified only by number, and due to the high number of victims, a makeshift area has been set up outside the morgue where families gather, using their cellphone lights to look for familiar features.
The bodies show horrific wounds consistent with torture, which has been a hallmark of the Assad regime. A doctor at the morgue condemned the regime’s tactics, saying that even in the Middle Ages, torture was not used in this way. The Assad regime was known for keeping meticulous records, and it is hoped that the files that remain will provide answers about what happened to the many people who disappeared during the regime’s rule.
Tens of thousands of people are believed to have been buried in mass graves by the regime, and it is estimated that up to 50 detainees a day could have been being killed at Saydnaya prison. Investigators will now be able to sift through the official files to learn more about what happened in the regime’s prisons. Many of the detainees themselves left their own clues, including graffiti and names scratched into the walls of their underground cells.
The families of the victims are finally able to get some answers, and many are seeking revenge against the regime. As one woman said, “I hope he burns, like he burned my heart.”
