A former Syrian military official, accused of being responsible for the execution of detainees at the notorious Sednaya prison during the Assad regime, has been arrested.
The country's Interior Ministry said counter-terrorism forces in Damascus province have arrested Maj Gen Akram Abdullah, adding that he held several positions, most notably commander of the military police between 2014 and 2015.
The ministry said he was “implicated in committing grave violations against detainees in Sednaya prison” and that an investigation showed he was responsible for executing detainees there.
During the Assad family regime, Syria operated a notorious detention system, which included Sednaya prison. It was known for people disappearing without a trace. Former president Bashar Al Assad was toppled in December by a lightning offensive led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham.
Human rights groups have documented systematic torture, sexual violence and mass killings at Sednaya, and international organisations have repeatedly called for the establishment of mechanisms for justice and accountability in Syria.
Thousands rushed to the prison after the rebels’ swift advance ended more than five decades of Assad family rule in December, freeing many who had been held for decades in the regime-run prisons.
More than 200,000 people have died in Syria's prisons, including by execution and under torture, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. Syria's commission for missing people said more than 300,000 may have disappeared since the 1970s.
Diab Serriya, co-founder of the association, said that Abdullah was “the highest-ranked individual” to be arrested over Sednaya to date. “He is responsible for those crimes,” he told AFP.
He said the military police ran the prison and that many executions and acts of torture were recorded when Abdullah was in charge.
The new government in Damascus, led by Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara, has vowed to deliver justice for the atrocities committed by the Assad regime. During the civil war, all sides were accused of carrying out attacks on civilians.
