SEDNAYA

The Sednaya prison complex north of Damascus has a notorious history. Built in 1987 as “Military Prison One,” it was used by Hafiz and Bashar al-Assad to detain political prisoners and others. Thousands of inmates died through executions, torture, or disease, earning Sednaya the title of “human slaughterhouse.”

The exhibition “Sednaya: Syria’s Architecture of Repression and Death” — curated by Prisons Museum e.V. in cooperation with UMAM Documentation & Research — treats the prison as a crime scene that must be fully documented to reveal what occurred there in secrecy for decades. Visitors explore key virtually reconstructed areas of the prison—from group cells to execution sites—gaining insight into the mechanisms of repression. Testimonies from survivors recount first days in detention, harsh routines, and the fight to endure extreme conditions. Personal objects, letters, and recovered artifacts offer additional glimpses into life inside.

The exhibition preserves the memory of those who suffered and highlights the physical and political structures that enabled state violence. It invites reflection on the human impact of authoritarian power and the need for remembrance and accountability.

The Prisons Museum is a Syrian NGO, based in Berlin and Damascus, that documents evidence of prison crimes and creates virtual and physical museum spaces in support of accountability, justice and memory for the MENA region and beyond.

UMAM Documentation & Research (Beirut/Berlin) is a Lebanese organisation that documents political violence, authoritarian practices and systems of incarceration and promotes memory, accountability and justice. The MENA Prisons Forum (MPF), a UMAM initiative, organised the event series ‘Understanding Prisons’ in Berlin.