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OmaralShogresayshespent10monthsinSednayaprison.Hesayshewasarrestedatage17and
wasinvariousSyrianprisonsformorethantwoyearsbeforehewassenttoSednaya.
CourtesyofOmaralShogre

AreportreleasedFeb.6byAmnestyInternationalsaystheSyrian
governmentcommittedmassmurderinaprisonoutsideDamascus.

Inthereport,AmnestyInternationalclaimsasmanyas13,000
peoplewerekilledattheSaydnayamilitaryprisontypicallyin
masshangingsfromMarch2011untilDecember2015.TheSyrian
governmenthascalledAmnestyInternational'sreport"completely
untrue"and"baseless."

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OmaralShogresayshespent10monthsintheSaydnayaprison.He
sayshewasarrestedatage17andwasheldinvariousSyrianprisons
formorethantwoyearsbeforehewassenttoSaydnaya.

NPRcannotindependentlyverifyhisstory,butheisfeaturedinthe
AmnestyInternationalreport.

ShogretellsNPR'sRobertSiegelthathewasarrestedandthen
releasedfortakingpartinantigovernmentdemonstrationsin2011.
Afterthat,hesayshewasarrestedsevenmoretimes.

"Ionlyparticipatedinpeacefuldemonstrationsthatincluded
carryingrosesandchanting,"Shogresays."ButIhavenever
participatedinanyviolentresistance."

ShogresaystheconditionsinSaydnayaweremuchworsecompared
tootherprisonswherehewaspreviouslyheld.

"InSaydnaya,wewerefacedwiththerealityofeitherdyingorkilling
oneotherprisoner,"hesays."Andsometimestheseprisonersare
yourfamilytheyareyourcousins,yourparents.Yougettoapoint
whereyouknowthatyouwilleitherhavetokillsomeoneelseoryou
havetodieyourself."
v
OnhowSaydnayacomparedtoanearlierprisonwherehe
washeld

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OmaralShogre

Thatprison,called[Branch]215,wasanightmarebeyondanyone's
imagination.Therewerewormseatinghumanflesh.Therewere
peopleeatingeachotherintheprison.Diseaseswereunbelievable.
Peoplewerethirstyandhungryatalltimes.Butnow,inretrospect,
215washeavencomparedtoSaydnaya.

Inthefirstprison,215,atleastweknewwhatwasgoingon.Wecould
hearthings,wecouldseethingsandwecouldknowwhatourfate
wouldbe.

InSaydnaya,wedidn'tknowanything.We'rejustsittingthere
waitingforpunishment,alwayslivingasifthisisthelastfiveseconds
ofyourlife.Youdon'tdoanythingbecauseyou'rekeptinaroom,and
youdon'tknowwhenyou'regoingtobekilledbecausetheprison
wardensweretellingusthatwewouldbehunganytimesoon.
Onthedeadlychoiceprisonwardensimposedonsome
inmates

Wewererequestedbyjailerstokilleachother.Sometimesthe
wardenscamewithaknifeorarope,andtheyaskedprisoners
whethertheyhadrelativesorfriendsinprison.

Andoncetheyidentifiedtheirfriendsandrelatives,theygavethem
oneoftwooptions:eitherkillingtheirrelativesorbeingkilled
themselves.Andinmanycases,beingkilledthemselvesincludedalso
beingtorturedbeforebeingkilled.

Ontheuseoftorture

Thegoalwasnottogatherinformation.Iwasinprisonfortwoyears
beforeIwassenttoSaydnaya,andIwouldsaythefirstmonthwas
forrealinterrogation.Iwastortured[in]thefirstmonth,andIwas
askedquestions.

Andlikeeveryoneelse,Iliedjusttomaketorturestopbecause
everyoneliesundertorture,justtoletthemstop.ItoldthemthatI
wasaterrorist.ItoldthemthatIhadtanksandRPGsandweapons.I
saidanythingthatwouldletthetorturestop.

WhenIwasin215,thatwasaplacewheretheyaskedusfor
questions,andthatistheplacewhereinterrogationshappened.But
whenyou'removedtoSaydnaya,that'stheplacewhereyoumovedin
todie.

Onhisoutlooknow
 I'lltellyouwhyIamapositiveperson.Thatprisonhadamazing
scholarsandscientistsinit.Wehadpeoplewhoinventedmedicines
foruswhenwewereinprison.Wehadpeoplewhotaughtme
everythingaboutlife.

Inmyonefootofspaceinthatprison,Ihadanattorneyinfrontof
me,adoctornexttome,andanengineernexttome,andateacher
behindme.Andthesepeopleandotherstaughtmealotaboutlife.

AndIcamefromhellandnowIliveinSweden,inaveryeasyplace
tolivein.OfcourseIwouldbepositive.

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