Inside Syria’s notorious Palestine Branch: Tales of torture and fear

Damascus, Syria – “Palestine Branch”, besides known arsenic Branch 235, is an intelligence-run situation successful Syria that everyone successful the state feared and loathed.

Established successful 1969, the notorious gathering connected the confederate outskirts of Damascus became known for systematic torture by the Syrian authorities against its opponents and the adjacent oculus it kept connected its ain people.

The subdivision roseate successful the 1980s, expanding from its archetypal mandate of monitoring Palestinian groups and each matters concerning Palestine, it took connected much and much files until it was handling much than immoderate different subdivision and became wide known for its brutal torture methods and inhumane conditions.

During the aboriginal stages of the Syrian revolution, the subdivision was said to specifically people residents of Damascus’s confederate districts, particularly al-Midan, al-Qadam, Dafshok, and the Yarmouk Palestinian exile camp.

Outside Palestine Branch, subject trucks were parked haphazardly, mattresses, documents and pictures scattered connected the level on with subject uniforms and boots near behind.

On December 8, 2024, the Syrian authorities fell and absorption forces freed prisoners arsenic they went, allowing them to look from the regime’s grip, carrying harrowing tales of torture and suffering.

Abu Jaber, a detainee successful the Palestine Branch, present guards it aft the autumn of Bashar al-Assad [Belal Khaled/Al Jazeera]

Inside the branch, the cells archer the communicative of the radical who went done it. There are cameras successful each cell, drawings and penning connected the walls carved with fingernails oregon immoderate other the detainees could find. A small spot of scabies ointment near implicit successful 1 cell.

It is hard to determination astir the basement now, due to the fact that the sewage strategy malfunctioned, filling immoderate corridors and cells with stagnant water.

Also successful the basement are the toilets, wherever guards would instrumentality detainees erstwhile a day, successful the morning, beating and insulting them.

Abu Jaber, who was successful compartment seven, recounted the torture helium endured successful this branch, from the infinitesimal helium entered: “They whipped us. It took 2 days to retrieve from the pain.

“After I left, I was acrophobic to walk adjacent [our cell], adjacent if it was connected my way. I would instrumentality a longer way to debar it.”

Each detainee had a fig according to the compartment they were in. For example, “33 connected Group 2” would bespeak the 33rd detainee successful the 2nd radical cell.

On the precocious floor, determination were what erstwhile prisoners referred to arsenic “torture rooms”. Dim, grey rooms with a ample solid model connected 1 of the walls.