A leak of documents, including photographs, from the regime of Bashir al Assad has laid bare the bloody inner workings of his regime.
More than 33,000 photographs of detainees, mostly believed to have been taken in 2015-2024, show the extent of the degradation and torture inflicted on them by Assad’s regime.
For some families, the leak to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), finally gives the tragic answer to what happened to their loved ones.
Assad presided over Syria during the country’s 13-year civil war during which about half a million people were killed including more than 200,00 civilians at the hands of the regime and more than 160,000 were forcibly “disappeared”.
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Many of the bodies in the leaked photographs bear clear signs of torture. Nearly half are naked and most show signs of starvation.
Irish Times Beirut-based reporter Sally Hayden worked with the ICIJ on the leak and she explains the importance of this evidence.
She notes that as soon as the Irish Times became aware of the existence of the leaked photographs in October, it has advocated for consulting victims’ families regarding their release.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
