President Bashar al-Assad of Syria relied on widespread torture, arbitrary detention, and extrajudicial execution as tools to maintain power, especially during and after the 2011 uprising. His regime targeted civilians, activists, journalists, doctors, and opposition members using a vast network of intelligence agencies and secret prisons.
Thousands were detained without charges, often held incommunicado for months or years. Inside these facilities, torture was routine—beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, and starvation were used to extract confessions or punish dissent.
One of the most notorious sites was Sednaya Prison, described by former detainees and human rights groups as a "slaughterhouse."
According to Amnesty International, as many as 13,000 people were executed in Sednaya between 2011 and 2015 following secret trials. The Caesar Files, a trove of smuggled photographs from a military defector, revealed graphic images of bodies bearing signs of torture and starvation, offering irrefutable evidence of systemic abuse.
Assad’s use of state violence instilled fear and crushed political opposition. These tactics were not only intended to punish, but also to send a clear message: resistance would be met with brutality. By weaponizing state institutions and erasing dissent through terror, Assad ensured his continued control over Syria amid international condemnation.
Now six months after the fall of al-Assad more than 100,000 of the 1 million people detained by Assad’s regime during the Syrian war are still unaccounted for. What happened to them? And what is known about the brutal system of detention, torture and killing under which they disappeared?
Syria’s Detainee Files, a feature-length FRONTLINE documentary premiering on PBS and online June 10, documents the search for answers and accountability — shedding new light on atrocities under Assad through stunning testimony of former regime insiders and officers who carried them out, alongside the accounts of people who survived them.
As Syria’s Detainee Files explores, many of the former officials — some of whom defected, and some of whom stayed loyal to the regime until the end — rationalize their actions, saying they were following the orders of a government that would have killed them otherwise. Haroun and fellow survivors express skepticism: “They are just like anyone else who contributed to the survival of this regime.”
Bashar al-Assad has been granted asylum in Russia, and a French court is seeking his arrest for complicity in crimes against humanity. But now that the regime has fallen and there are calls for accountability, the film raises questions about who, in a vast system of people following orders, should be held responsible for the atrocities.
Guests:
Sara Obeidat is an Emmy award-winning Jordanian journalist and filmmaker.
Sasha Joelle Achilli is a BAFTA, Emmy and duPont-Columbia Award-winning filmmaker.
"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org.
This discussion will be recorded on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.
