Syrian military officer aka "dean of Syrian detainees" gets recognized for having endured longest period of political detention
Date
12/29/2024 6:37:42 AM
(MENAFN) Ragheed al-Tari, a Syrian military officer known as the "dean of Syrian detainees," is widely recognized for having endured the longest period of Political detention in the prisons of the ousted Assad regime. Arrested in 1982, al-Tari spent 43 years moving between various prisons under the regime's control. He was eventually released by Syrian opposition factions during their operation to "deter aggression," which resulted in the fall of Bashar al-Assad's Regime on October 8, 2024. These factions managed to free prisoners as they took control of key cities in Syria. Born in Damascus in 1955, al-Tari was a skilled pilot in the Syrian Air Force by his twenties. In the early 1980s, during the height of the Syrian regime's military campaign against the opposition in Hama, al-Tari refused to follow orders to bomb opposition positions. His defiance stemmed from the regime's violent crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in Hama, where the city experienced devastating destruction and atrocities in 1982 under Hafez al-Assad’s orders.
Al-Tari was interrogated for allegedly knowing about the defection of a colleague, but he denied any involvement. After enduring several days of intense interrogation, he was dismissed from his position and fled to Jordan in 1980. His attempt to seek asylum in Egypt was rejected, forcing him to return to Syria, where he was arrested upon arrival at Damascus International Airport. He was imprisoned in various facilities over the years, including the General Intelligence Prison, Mezzeh Military Prison, and Palmyra Prison, where he spent about 21 years. Later, he was transferred to Sednaya Military Prison for another 10 years, where he witnessed the brutal suppression of the “prisoners’ rebellion” by the regime. Following the onset of the Syrian revolution in 2011, al-Tari was moved to Damascus Central Prison, where he endured harsh conditions and was denied contact with his family. His long imprisonment ended with his release in December 2024, following the fall of the Assad regime after opposition forces took control of Damascus, marking the end of 61 years of Baath Party rule and 53 years of Assad family rule.
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