Syrian Security Forces Arrest Former Assad Regime General Over Sednaya Prison Abuses
Syrian security forces arrested former Assad regime General Akram Selum Abdullah for overseeing torture and executions at Sednaya Prison between 2014-2015. The arrest is part of a broader campaign targeting former regime officials for human rights abuses and corruption.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Syria’s Ministry of Interior announced on Tuesday the arrest of General Akram Selum Abdullah, a former high-ranking officer under the now-dissolved Assad regime, over grave human rights abuses committed at Sednaya Military Prison—one of the country’s most notorious detention facilities.
In a statement carried by the Ministry, authorities confirmed that General Abdullah, who previously served as Commander of the Military Police, was detained following a detailed surveillance and monitoring operation conducted by the Counter-Terrorism Branch in the Damascus governorate. He has since been referred to the judiciary for prosecution.
According to the statement, initial investigations revealed that Abdullah directly oversaw “operations of torture, execution, and enforced disappearance” at Sednaya between 2014 and 2015, during the final years of Bashar al-Assad’s rule.
The Ministry emphasized that Abdullah’s arrest comes within the framework of “a series of security operations targeting individuals involved in crimes and violations under the former regime.”
The arrest of General Abdullah follows a string of operations launched since the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024, which have led to the detention of several former military and militia officials accused of corruption, war crimes, and crimes against civilians.
Just last week, Nimir al-Assad, a cousin of former president Bashar al-Assad, was arrested in Qardaha, Latakia’s countryside, during a special mission carried out by Internal Security Forces. According to the Ministry, Nimir al-Assad was one of Syria’s most prominent drug traffickers and a key figure in “criminal networks linked to the former regime.”
Authorities described these operations as part of a coordinated effort to dismantle the corrupt structures and criminal networks that flourished during Assad’s rule, as well as to reaffirm the new government’s commitment to justice, accountability, and the rule of law.
The detention of figures like Akram Selum Abdullah and Nimir al-Assad marks a significant turn in Syria’s internal justice process, signaling the transitional government’s growing resolve to pursue accountability for past abuses while confronting ongoing threats from insurgent and criminal groups.
Officials at the Interior Ministry said the crackdown will continue “until every individual involved in crimes against the Syrian people is brought before justice.”
As Syria struggles to rebuild from years of conflict and repression, the arrest of once-powerful regime figures stands as both a symbolic and practical step toward restoring confidence in state institutions—an effort observers say remains crucial for the country’s long-term stability.
