“Extraordinary moment,” CNN journalist discovers hidden Syrian prisoner in secret cell

A CNN team uncovered an abandoned prisoner in a secret cell while reporting from a prison in Syria. The moment was described as “extraordinary” by CNN journalist Clarissa Ward, who helped rescue the detainee, especially since the detention center had been cleared of prisoners just days before.

Clarissa Ward was visiting a secret facility at the Assad regime’s air force headquarters in Damascus, under the protection of Syrian rebel fighters. During her visit, she moved from one cell to another, using a mobile torchlight to examine the prison's walls and overall conditions.

While searching the facility, Ward noted that the trail of American journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in Syria, remained elusive.

However, something startling soon unfolded, leaving everyone shocked. As Ward and the rebel fighters went from cell to cell, one fighter said that the prison was “all cleared,” indicating there were no prisoners left.

But as they moved to another cell, they discovered a man hiding under a blanket beside the wall. Despite repeated calls, he didn’t respond. It was only when a fighter moved closer and pulled the blanket away that the man suddenly stood up with his hands raised.

“I am a civilian,” he said, after seeing the armed fighter. He identified himself as a resident of Homs, revealing he had been imprisoned for three months.

Ward, along with another fighter, helped the man out of the prison. The freed prisoner, visibly shaking from hunger and thirst, clutched Ward’s hands, who continued to calm him down. He described his experience, saying he had been kept in a "windowless" cell and was seeing the sky for the first time in months.

"Syria is free," one of the fighters assured him, explaining that there were no soldiers, security forces, or checkpoints to fear anymore.

Shaken, the prisoner explained that he had been arrested from his home by intelligence officials, who interrogated him about his phone and the names of alleged terrorists.

Several secret prisons operated during the Assad regime, housing tens of thousands of prisoners, including women and children. Many of these prisoners endured horrific torture, abuse, and rape.

However, thousands were freed after rebel fighters, along with civilians, broke into these secret prisons.

Previosuly, Amnesty International raised concerns about 'mass hangings' carried out during Assad’s rule, while the UN highlighted the systemic torture in over 100 detention facilities.

Sednaya Prison, in particular, is infamous for being one of the most horrific torture centers in the world.

Survivors recounted chilling stories of abuse, with prisoners being assaulted with pipes and subjected to electric shocks. Families of thousands of detainees abducted by the regime were left in the dark, never knowing the fate of their loved ones.