Syrian doctors are rushing to the Sednaya prison on the outskirts of Damascus to help prisoners who have been freed from the notorious detention facility after rebels ousted former president Bashar al-Assad.
A Middle East Eye report said that doctors said they reached the prison on Monday morning and were concerned that prisoners would be heavily malnourished and suffer from infectious diseases like tuberculosis and hepatitis.
Doctor Mahmoud Mustafa travelled overnight in a medical convoy with a team of doctors and two ambulances to Sednaya, where hundreds of people had flocked to hear news of their relatives and friends held inside the prison.
Driving through heavy traffic, Mustafa said his convoy passed soldiers from the Syrian army who were still in their military fatigues after leaving their army posts.
“The majority of prisoners have spent long years in the prisons. Some are suffering from malnutrition and other chronic illnesses,” Mustafa told MEE.
“Skin disease is widespread. Some have spent long years without light in underground dungeons.”
Mustafa highlighted how fighters need to coordinate the release of prisoners as he fears they will not be properly treated and assessed to ensure they are healthy.
“We have a large number of people entering the prison and looking for their relatives. But their release should be coordinated as they need to be fed gradually and there are a large number of medical recommendations that need to be considered.”
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