Assad transformed Syria into a big jail and slaughterhouse: Minister Hamadeh

Commenting on a report by Amnesty International about Syria’s prisons, Lebanon’s Education Minister Marwan Hamadeh said on Wednesday that Syrian President Bashar Assad has transformed his country into a big jail and slaughterhouse, National News Agency reported.

“One can not but feel disgusted without any surprise about what is happening in Syria’s prisons, mainly in the Saydnaya, of atrocities that have been documented by Amnesty International,” said Hamadeh.

“No wonder about that since Bashar Assad has transformed Syria into a slaughterhouse and prison, adding 13,000 gallows to the toxic gases and explosive barrels that destroyed cities, places of worship and schools,” he went on to say.

“This last evidence from Amnesty International will be added to a file that will one day be opened in front of the International Criminal Court to try criminals of the Syrian war,” the minister concluded.

Amnesty International on Tuesday accused Syria’s government of hanging up to 13,000 people at a notorious prison over five years in a “policy of extermination”, two weeks before planned peace talks.

The damning report, titled “Human Slaughterhouse: Mass hanging and extermination at Saydnaya prison” near Damascus, details the gruesome ritual of mass hangings between 2011 and 2015.

The Syrian justice ministry replied to the Amnesty report and said it was “completely untrue and intended to harm Syria’s reputation in international forums,” according to the official SANA news agency.

Hundreds of Lebanese at the prison

There are reports that monks, army officers and soldiers that were captured on October 13, 1990 (when Syrian troops moved into the area controlled by General Michel Aoun) would be among the prisoners in Saydnaya . They were reportedly moved from the Mazzeh prison

Below is the list of some of the Lebanese prisoners in Saydnaya prison , according to Arab Commission for Human Rights

(ACHR ) and the reasons given for their imprisonment :
Elias Shallita Bou Ghosn (Aounist)
Ali Nasser (Iraqi Baath)
Nabil Khayr (collaboration with Israel)
Zohair Kashha
Bashir Assankari (Iraqi Baath)
Khaled Yassin (collaboration with Israel)
Abd Allatif Mounfez (Iraqi Baath)
Amir Yassin (Tawhid)
Ahmad Qassab
Moussa Saab
Ibrahim Al Hirshi (collaboration with Israel)
Hasan Wehbeh (accused of killing Syrian soldiers)
Rashid Abd Arrahman (collaboration with Israel)
Mohammad Sayf Addin (Iraqi Baath)
AhMad Rashid
Wahib Akkawi (collaboration with Israel)
Hussayn Mahdi (Lebanese Forces)
Sohayl Georges (collaboration with Israel)
Adnan Omar Sayf Addin
Ali Abou Al Qateh
Salim Awadah (collaboration with Israel)
Marwan Al A’awar (accused of killing Syrian soldiers)
Farouq Jamal (collaboration with Israel)
Abd Annaser Hamawi (Tawhid)
Said Al Jordi (Ikhwan Mouslemeen)
Ali Abou Dihn (collaboration with Israel)
Mohammad Nizar Hallaq (Ikhwan Mouslemeen)
Atef Abou Shaqra (Iraqi Baath)
Jamal Habbal
Ahmad Addeyeh
Mostapha Khalil (Palestinian living in Lebanon)
Elias Lotfallah Tannous (collaboration with Israel)
Jamil Deeb Deeb
Joseph Aziz Haleet (Lebanese Forces)
Joseph Gerges Abi Najm
Hikmat Qassem Baydoun
Khaled Khodr Tawfiq
Raja Slayman Qabalan
Shakib Ibrahim Radwan (collaboration with Israel)
Samir Attibee (Tawhid)
Issam Othman (Aounist)
Qassem Hussayn (collaboration with Israel)
Nashed Mohammad Bahjat (Lebanese Forces)
Nazeeh Ahmad
Jamal Mostapha Kararah
Omar Mostapha (collaboration with Israel)
Naji Harb (Aounist)
Samir Abou Al Khayr
Fadi Saeed
Fouad Abou Ghader (collaboration with Israel)

The office of General Mishel Aoun also distributed
this list of the Lebanese army officers and soldiers
that are held in Syria:
Adel Youssef Doumit (born 1968- captured 1990)
Georges Mtanios Bashour (Corporal; born 1969- captured
1990)
Jack Hannah Makhoul (soldier; born 1962- captured
1990)
Jean Mkhayel Nakhleh (soldier; born 1970- captured
1990)
Tanios Kamil Al Hbr (soldier; captured 1990)
Mkhayel Youssef Al Hassbani (soldier; captured 1990)
Johnny Salem Nassif (corporal; born 1974- captured
1990)
Marwan Riyad Masha’alani (officer; born 1964- captured
1990)
Antoine Zakhour Zakhour (soldier; born 1963- captured
1990)
Robert Bou Sirhal (Lieutenant; born 1962- captured
1990)
Tanios Sharbel Zghayb (Lieutenant; captured 1990)
Elie Karim Wihbeh (soldier; born 1960- caotured 1990)
Sayed Shahid Batour (soldier; born 1971- captured
1990)
Elie Saad Haddad (born 1966- captured 1990)
Joseph Deeb Al Aqiqi (corporal; captured 1990)
Naji Elias El Hindi (corporal; captured 1990)
Jihad Georges Eid (University Student; born 1970-
captured 1990)
Elias Youssef Aoun (corporal; born 1969- captured
1990)
Milad Youssef Al Alam (soldier; born 1970- captured
1990)
Doumit Slayman Brahim (soldier; born 1964- captured
1990)
Georges Milad Ashaykh (soldier; captured 1990)
Khaled Moustapha Khoder (soldier; captured 1990)
Naji Aziz Harb (soldier; captured 1989)
Claude Hanna El Khoury (soldier, born 1964- captured
1985)
Mishel Geryes Al Batah (corporal; captured 1990)
Georges Abou Halloun
Jean Al Khoury (soldier)
Joseph Azar
Ali Farhat (captured 1995)
Ali Mhannah (corporal)
Izzat Yasseen (captured 1999)
Ali Issa (captured 1999)
Fouad Assaker (corporal)
Marwan Fares
Mohammad Ashoufi (captured 1999)
Nimr Annadaf (corporal; captured 1994)

ACHR is an Arab world non-governmental human rights organisation that was founded in 1998.