Damascus, Syria – The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced on Thursday the arrest of Major General Akram Salloum al-Abdullah, a senior army officer under the Assad regime, on charges of committing horrific abuses against detainees at Sednaya Military Prison.
The ministry explained in an official statement that the security operation was carried out by the Damascus Counter-Terrorism Branch following close monitoring, confirming Abdullah’s involvement in the execution of detainees during his tenure as commander of the Military Police between 2014 and 2015.
Al-Abdullah was responsible for the so-called “salt rooms,” warehouses for storing detainees’ bodies before transporting them to mass graves, according to secret documents and internal leaks.
Human rights activists noted that his arrest represents an important step toward holding accountable those responsible for violations inside Syrian prisons, amid calls for a fair trial to uncover the fate of thousands of detainees.
The authorities confirmed that Major General Akram Al-Abdullah had been referred to the competent judicial authorities to complete the investigations and take legal action against him.
