Region | Syria
Syria says order restored at military prison
Syrian authorities said on Sunday they had restored order at a military jail near Damascus after a riot during which an opposition group said dozens of prisoners were killed.
- Agencies
- Published: 21:43 July 6, 2008
Damascus: Syrian authorities said on Sunday they had restored order at a military jail near Damascus after a riot during which an opposition group said dozens of prisoners were killed.
The riot broke out on Saturday at Sidnaya prison, a huge complex 30km northwest of the capital that houses thousands of criminals, political prisoners and soldiers convicted of violating military rules.
"Several prisoners convicted of extremism and terror crimes created chaos ... the issue required the interference of anti-riot units to restore calm," the state news agency said.
It did not say whether there were any casualties.
"A security force unit immediately took action to remedy the situation and restore calm in the prison," it added.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 25 people were killed after military police fired bullets at Islamist inmates when the rioting erupted.
The Observatory said Islamist prisoners, many of whom have been held at Sidnaya for years without trial, started the riot. It quoted witnesses as saying a hospital near the prison was full of the wounded.
One inmate told the BBC's Arabic service the guards had treated the prisoners roughly during the raid.
Shackled
"They shackled our hands behind us, confiscated our clothes and possessions and beat us. And they insulted the Quran, they trod on the Quran," he said.
Syria has cracked down on dissidents recently drawing strong criticism from the West particularly as the arrests are being carried out under emergency laws in force since 1963.
Saydnaya prison was built in 1987 to accommodate 5,000 inmates but can take up to 10,000, according to the Syrian Human Rights Committee.
Share this article
Related Articles
Popular in News
News Editor's choice
-
Into an oasis of values
A place to snuggle in the warmth of old manners away from the bustle of city life
-
The walking MP
Rory Stewart's long walk in life has taken a new turn
-
What drives Africa's new kind of refugees?
Warming-driven factors have led many in the continent to flee their homes
