Adra Prison
| Location | North-east outskirts of Damascus, Syria |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33.5901037,36.4404945 |
| Status | Operational |
| Population | 7,000 (as of 2010) |
| Notable prisoners | |
| Anwar al-Bunni, Bassel Khartabil, Mas'ud Hamid, Haitham al-Maleh | |
Adra Prison is a prison in Syria, on the north-east outskirts of Damascus.[1][2]
Civil prisoners and leading political prisoners are held in the prison.[3][4][5] In 2010, the prison held 7,000 prisoners, a dozen of them women.[6] The Washington Post referred to the prison as "infamous".[7]
History
Ghassan Najjar, an engineer who was imprisoned in 1980, reportedly went on two hunger strikes, one to protest conditions in the prison, and his fellow inmates said he was beaten so badly by prison guards trying to force him to eat that he suffered spinal injuries.[8]
Mas'ud Hamid, a Kurdish journalism student, was held in solitary confinement in the prison for one year from 2003–04 before he was allowed monthly visits, and Human Rights Watch said that interrogators reportedly tortured him and beat him with a studded whip on the bottom of his feet.[9] His room was 2 by 0.85 metres (6 ft 7 in × 2 ft 9 in), largely filled by a toilet in it.[10]
In December 2004 Kurds in the prison conducted a hunger strike, which was allegedly halted by torture.[11]
In March 2011, 13 prisoners at the prison including 80-year-old former judge Haitham al-Maleh, serving a three-year jail term for criticizing corruption in Syria, and lawyer Anwar al-Bunni, jailed for five years for "weakening public morale", began a hunger strike to protest political detentions and oppression.[12]
On July 1st 2013 female detainees in the prison began hunger strike in response to negligence of their cases by the public prosecution of the Counterterrorism Court, and absence of approval of their respective trials.[13]
Current prisoners
- Anwar al-Bunni
- Bassel Khartabil
- Haitham al-Maleh
- Mas'ud Hamid
See also
References
- ↑ Alan George (2003). Syria: neither bread nor freedom. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Little hope for press freedom on eve of President Assad’s second seven-year term". Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ↑ Aziz Abu-Hamad, Andrew Whitley (1992). Throwing away the key: indefinite political detention in Syria. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ↑ Khaled Yacoub Oweis. "Syrian authorities interrogate 78-year-old dissident". Reuters. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Syria authorities grill 78-year-old dissident". Kuwait Times. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Syria urged to transfer female prisoners". UPI.com. November 12, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ↑ Rhonda Roumani (January 19, 2006). "Syria Frees 5 Political Activists". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ↑ James A. Paul (1990). Human rights in Syria. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ↑ Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch False Freedom Online Censorship in the Middle East and North Africa. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ↑ Human Rights Watch (2009). Far from justice: Syria's Supreme State Security Court. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ↑ Robert Lowe (January 2006). "The Syrian Kurds: A People Discovered". Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ↑ Evans, Dominic. "13 prisoners in hunger strike action". Scotsman. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ↑ Hassoun, Joud; Hashem, Fouad (July 1, 2013). "Female detainees begin hunger strike in Adra Prison". Syria Newsdesk. Retrieved July 5, 2013.