With al-Assad in Russia, families search for loved ones in Syria’s notorious prisons, bearing the heavy emotional toll.

A member of the Syrian <span>civil defence</span> group, known as the White Helmets, searches for prisoners underground at Sednaya Prison, after rebels seized the capital and announced that they have ousted President Bashar al-Assad, in Sednaya, Syria, December 9, 2024 [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters]

Thousands of prisoners held in Syria’s notorious prisons remain unaccounted for, days after President Bashar al-Assad fled for Russia. Families face an agonising search for their loved ones during a bittersweet moment of freedom. We dive into the emotional toll and the ongoing fight for answers.

In this episode:

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters, Sonia Bhagat, and Sarí el-Khalili with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Duha Mosaad, Hagir Saleh and Cole Van Miltenburg, and our host, Malika Bilal. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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