Ali Hassan al-Ali (right) on the street after his release from Hama's prison in Syria. (Photo circulating on social media)
BEIRUT — The spark of hope that had ignited this week in the hearts of Lebanese families whose members had disappeared at the hands of the Syrian regime has now turned into a blaze. Syrian rebels, who announced the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime last night, also broke into several regime prisons, including the Sednaya prison on the outskirts of Damascus, described as a "human slaughterhouse." Thousands of people emerged from these prisons, joining the prisoners previously released from the prisons of Hama, Aleppo, and Homs.
As emotions run high across the country and numerous videos of individuals being released from prisons and greeted by jubilant crowds have quickly spread on social media, a similar hope is emerging in Lebanon.
Last week, photos of at least one Lebanese detainee who had been released from the Hama prison prompted organizations following this case — often considered neglected, or even abandoned by Lebanese authorities — to meet and demand procedures to locate any Lebanese who could be freed from the regime's prisons. The frenzy once again took over social media on Sunday.
Photos of emaciated men, some receiving medical treatment, quickly flooded the internet and activists have taken to social media to share lists of Lebanese individuals they believe have been released from Syrian prisons, compiling information from local groups and relatives.
"Moufid Habshi, Hana Keyrouz, Tony Kozah, Nabih Shallifa, Toufic Saadeh, Riad Geagea, Elias Rahmeh, Tannous Rahmeh, Massoud Rahmeh, Jean-Claude Khoury," are among the names listed by Doumit Azzi Draiby in a post on X, noting that some had been imprisoned for "over 30 years" by the regime. The activist clarified to L’Orient Today that the list was compiled from data "published by the families and residents of the detainees’ villages."
"Nothing is concrete yet," warns Ammar Abboud, communications officer for the NGO ACT for the Disappeared, an initiative aimed at uncovering the identities of missing persons, which says it has been overwhelmed with calls from family members and loved ones. "When the chaos settles down, we will have more information," he told L’Orient Today.
Wadad Halawani, head of the Committee of Families of the Kidnapped and Disappeared in Lebanon, who has fought for the truth about those who disappeared during the Lebanese Civil War and beyond said on Saturday, during a press conference in Beirut, that the news of detainees released from Syria brought a sense of cautious optimism to the families, some of whom were hoping to finally hear news of their loved ones.
“Today, our hearts are full of hope, but we need concrete information,” Halawani told reporters. “The release of detainees from Syrian prisons has rekindled a fire that has been burning for so many years.”
“We need the Lebanese state to take action now,” Halawani stressed, urging authorities to work swiftly to verify the identities of the released detainees. “We can’t afford to wait any longer.”
She called on anyone with information to contact the committee or the National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared. Among the "confirmed cases," she mentioned that of Ali Hassan al-Ali, who was arrested at a Syrian checkpoint in northern Lebanon when he was 18 and was released on Saturday night from the Hama prison.
Kataeb identifies members held for 40 years in Syrian prison
For their part, the authorities are beginning to show their mobilization. The outgoing Prime Minister contacted the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, Judge Mahmoud Makieh, to address the National Commission for the Disappeared, his press office said in a statement on Sunday.
Nagib Mikati emphasized "the importance of mobilizing all available resources and coordinating with the relevant bodies to address the issue of the release of hundreds of [Lebanese] prisoners," the text stated. A meeting is set to take place later in the day on the situation, between Makieh and representatives of the concerned organizations.
According to human rights groups, an estimated 136,000 people were held in Assad’s prisons. More than 100,000 Syrians are thought to have gone missing during the country's 13-year insurgency, with many believed to have been detained in these prisons.
Additionally, around 700 Lebanese individuals are believed to have been held in Syria, having been taken during the three decades of Syrian military presence in Lebanon, many due to their political views.
Salim Sayegh, a Kataeb MP, stated on Sunday to MTV that his party was in contact with a man who has been imprisoned for 40 years for being accused of collaborating with the party during the Lebanese Civil War. “We are working with the International Committee of the Red Cross to secure his safe return. The Lebanese state must take responsibility and ensure the return of all Lebanese citizens detained in Syria.”