Assad's Rape Dungeons Are Still Out There

In this worth-hearing episode of his podcast, CJ Werleman talks with Razan Saffour, a Syrian activist and journalist about the grim realities she uncovered speaking with female Syrian survivors of Assad’s prisons and rape dungeons.

Yes, while some Western states even started to consider deporting Syrian refugees, the rape dungeons of the Assad regime still exist.

The precise number and location of these dungeons is unknown, although human rights organisations documented several in Damascus, Homs, Idlib, Aleppo and in several other cities.

Both men and women are being tortured, raped and killed in these prisons, and the whole world knows it.

However, Syria enjoys absolute impunity. The ICC is not authorized to start an investigation into the crimes, as Syria is not a party to the Rome Statute. At the same time, a referral to the court by the UN Security Council is currently blocked by veto powers Russia and China.

A few months ago, I met one of the regime's victims in Germany. She had spent several months in one of the torture dungeons. But she had strong words to say:

“They can imprison our bodies, but they cannot imprison the voice of our conscience.”