In Syria, the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime opened eyes to countless abuses, such as those which took place in Saidnaya prison, now known by its nickname: “the human slaughterhouse”. While his release on December 8 was publicized around the world, the American television channel CNN published a report four days later titled “CNN witnesses the release of a Syrian prisoner forcibly held by Assad.”
In the images, CNN correspondent Clarissa Ward is accompanied by an armed man. Together, they open a cell in this prison located in Damascus and find a man, hidden under a blanket, presented as a civilian named Adel Gharbal. But according to Verify-sy, an independent Syrian investigative media which published a counter-investigation on December 15, it is a former lieutenant of the intelligence services who hid his identity.
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As the journalist accompanies the prisoner out of the prison, telling him that the regime has fallen, he says that he is from the city of Homs, in the west of the country, and that he is imprisoned. “for three months”. He also claims to have been arrested by the Mukhabarat, the Syrian military intelligence service, and interrogated to give the names of terrorists.
The scene of this man finding the light of day could be moving, but certain details quickly appear suspicious. Despite the ultra-brutal treatment reserved for detainees in Syrian prisons, Adel Gharbal leaves his cell clean and in good physical health, without visible injuries or signs of torture. The image seems absurd for someone who would have been isolated in the dark for ninety days. As for his behavior, alternating between serenity and fear, it also raises questions about the authenticity of the scene.
Finally, the context of this release raises questions: the CNN journalist did not note the fact – strange – that no other detainee was left in the prison when she came across Adel Gharbal, simply presented as the last prisoner of Saidnaya.
A torturer who poses as a victim
The Verify-sy team therefore carried out verification work. Verdict: She found no information on the circumstances and length of Adel Gharbal's detention in public records. The team went further and searched near Homs, its hometown. She thus discovered that Adel Gharbal's real name is Salama Mohammad Salama. This revelation does not go unnoticed, since the man is still better known as Abu Hamza, a first lieutenant in the Syrian Air Force intelligence services.
According to the investigative media, Abu Hamza managed several security checkpoints in the city and was “involved in theft, extortion and coercion of residents to become informants.” According to residents of the neighborhood where he lives, his recent incarceration in Damascus –“which lasted less than a month” – is due to a dispute with a superior officer, against the backdrop of sharing of profits from the extorted funds.
Abu Hamza's calm demeanor in front of the CNN camera hides a sinister past. According to Verify-sy, the man killed civilians and was responsible for the detention and torture of many young men in Homs, for no reason or on trumped-up charges.
But the residents of his neighborhood are not fooled: they told Verify-sy that Abu Hamza has been trying to attract sympathy since the fall of the regime, claiming that he was “forced” to commit his crimes. The reporting team also learned that he had deactivated his social media accounts and changed his phone number, presumably to erase all evidence of his involvement in the Assad regime's war crimes.
