Homs, June 26 (SANA) The Association of Tadmur Prison Survivors held an event on Friday in Palmyra titled “The Tadmur Journey—From Painful Memory to Justice,” marking the 46th anniversary of the 1980 Tadmur Prison massacre, with participation from representatives of the National Commission for Transitional Justice and the National Commission for Missing Persons.
Hundreds of survivors from across Syria took part in the event, including a symbolic visit to Tadmur Prison and the Martyrs’ Cemetery in Wadi Uwaydah, to commemorate the anniversary, preserve national memory, shed light on the cases of detainees and missing persons, and emphasize the importance of truth, justice and redress.
The massacre at Tadmur Prison on June 27, 1980, is considered one of the most brutal and unjust mass atrocities in modern Syrian history, according to the speeches delivered during the event.
Survivors and participants recited poems and texts written inside the prison, reflecting the scale of suffering and endurance, and visited the Martyrs’ Cemetery in Wadi Uwaydah.
Mohammad Bahaa al-Din al-Khatib al-Hassani, head of the Association of Tadmur Prison Survivors, told SANA that about 500 survivors, accompanied by their children and relatives from various Syrian villages and towns, participated in the commemoration, along with representatives from legal and media organizations, including the Transitional Justice Commission and the National Commission for Missing Persons.
Layla Kashki from the National Commission for Missing Persons emphasized the importance of participating in the massacre’s commemoration to affirm the Commission’s commitment to standing with victims and the families of martyrs by following up on missing persons cases, uncovering their fate, and achieving justice.
Abdulrahman Haj Mahram, who was arrested in late 1982, said the images of torture have never left his imagination—from the bitter reception of detainees to his transfer between wards of tuberculosis and death until his release.
Mahmoud Tawil, who spent about 12 years in Tadmur Prison and earned a doctorate in Sharia after his release, expressed hope for Syria’s economic prosperity following victory and liberation, and that Syrians would take their true honorable place among nations.
Former Tadmur Prison detainee Mohammad Hakim described how he and his companions entered the prison “humiliated” but “today they are honored and dignified, by the grace of God.”
Tadmur Prison, located in the Syrian desert about 200 kilometers northeast of Damascus, was one of the most brutal and feared detention centers in modern history.
It was built in the 1930s and became a symbol of repression under the deposed regime, where systematic torture and executions were carried out for decades.
The 1980 massacre occurred on June 27, the day after an assassination attempt against Hafez al-Assad. Forces from the defense ministry, commanded by Rifaat al-Assad, stormed the prison and executed between 600 and 1,200 unarmed detainees.
The massacre was carried out over several hours, and the bodies were buried in mass graves in Wadi Uwaydah, east of Palmyra. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have documented the massacre and called for accountability.
The Association of Tadmur Prison Survivors has called on the Syrian government to convert Tadmur and Sednaya prisons into national museums to document the dark era of Syrian history and preserve the memory of victims.
The National Commission for Missing Persons (NCMP) said Friday that Tadmur Prison massacre represents an open wound in Syria’s national memory and a testament to the grave violations committed by the deposed regime over decades against thousands of Syrians, with effects still felt by survivors and families awaiting the fate of their loved ones.
The Commission stressed that commemorating the victims is essential for preserving national memory, and that uncovering the truth about missing and forcibly disappeared persons is an inherent right of families and a legal and moral obligation that contributes to truth, justice and non-recurrence.
KhA
