An underground prison used by the Assad regime to torture civilians has been discovered.

underground prison

The discovered site resembles an uninhabitable cave.

Syrian Internal Security Forces discovered an underground prison in an agricultural area near the village of Abu Hakfa in the northeastern Homs countryside. The prison was used during the Bashar al-Assad regime to detain civilians.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted Marwan al-Sultan, a security official in the eastern Homs countryside, on Wednesday as saying that the discovered site resembles an underground cave uninhabitable and was used to kidnap women, men, and children for financial and political gain. He confirmed that searches of the area are ongoing, amid expectations that additional mass graves will be found. He added that all those involved in these crimes will be legally prosecuted.

Fawaz Baloul, a resident of the village of Abu Hakfa, indicated that "the agricultural land where the prison was discovered belongs to a member of the National Defense Militia." He explained that a large cave was found with an iron door and padlocks at its entrance. It was used for torturing and detaining civilians for ransom.

Baloul confirmed that "the area has witnessed repeated kidnappings by these militias," noting that he "personally was a victim of one of these incidents." According to the agency, "the villagers are communicating with the relevant authorities to expand their search for additional evidence that might reveal the extent of the violations to which civilians were subjected during this period."