What a sad childhood this young man has had.
The New Arab
Childhood's end in Assad's prisons
Omar was seventeen when he was arrested. When he left prison, he weighed 35 kilos
Date of publication: 12 June, 2016
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Omar, a former child detainee held by Syrian regime authorities, shared with The New Arab his first-hand account of his ordeal in Syrian prisons, where hundreds of children are known to be detained and even tortured.
While The New Arab could not independently verify the contents of the testimony, former prisoners in Syria who examined it have corroborated the practices he described.
In 2011 the Syrian revolution spread to Baniyas, the home of then-17 year old Omar al-Shogre.
Omar was arrested at his aunt's house along with three of his cousins after attending Friday prayers. It was the beginning of a horrific ordeal that would see him go through eleven different facilities in Syria.
Omar's father had served in the Syrian army for more than 24 years which protected him for some time from mass arrests that were taking place in Baniyas. However soon the army came for him and violently arrested him and his three cousins in al-Bayda village.
"They harassed Noor (his cousin) in the car. It wasn’t normal at that point to beat girls so every time she refused to answer a question they beat us instead," he said.
Omar had been arrested several times before. On one of the previous occasions, women of Baniyas took to the street to demand the men’s release. Other times their "connections" had managed to secure his release, but this time "it was different".
During Omar’s horrific time in prison his father and brothers were killed in the Baniyas massacre in May 2013, although he would not know until after his release.
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Childhood's end in Assad's prisons?
The New Arab
Childhood's end in Assad's prisons
Omar was seventeen when he was arrested. When he left prison, he weighed 35 kilos
Date of publication: 12 June, 2016
Share this page:
- Testimony: Omar al-Shogre was seventeen when he was arrested in Baniyas. In one year he would experience horrific torture in eleven different detention facilities in Syria.
Omar, a former child detainee held by Syrian regime authorities, shared with The New Arab his first-hand account of his ordeal in Syrian prisons, where hundreds of children are known to be detained and even tortured.
While The New Arab could not independently verify the contents of the testimony, former prisoners in Syria who examined it have corroborated the practices he described.
In 2011 the Syrian revolution spread to Baniyas, the home of then-17 year old Omar al-Shogre.
Omar was arrested at his aunt's house along with three of his cousins after attending Friday prayers. It was the beginning of a horrific ordeal that would see him go through eleven different facilities in Syria.
Omar's father had served in the Syrian army for more than 24 years which protected him for some time from mass arrests that were taking place in Baniyas. However soon the army came for him and violently arrested him and his three cousins in al-Bayda village.
"They harassed Noor (his cousin) in the car. It wasn’t normal at that point to beat girls so every time she refused to answer a question they beat us instead," he said.
Omar had been arrested several times before. On one of the previous occasions, women of Baniyas took to the street to demand the men’s release. Other times their "connections" had managed to secure his release, but this time "it was different".
During Omar’s horrific time in prison his father and brothers were killed in the Baniyas massacre in May 2013, although he would not know until after his release.
Continue reading at:
Childhood's end in Assad's prisons?
