DAMASCUS: A Syrian organization launched a virtual museum in Damascus on Monday documenting the experiences of detainees in the country’s prisons, used for decades to hold opponents to Assad family rule.
The Syria Prisons Museum offers 3D virtual tours of prisons, documented testimonies from former prisoners about their experiences, and studies, research, and investigative reports related to prisons and detention centers.
“The museum seeks to preserve the dark Syrian memory associated with violence, murder, and prisons,” project founder Amer Matar told AFP on the sidelines of a launch ceremony at Damascus’ national museum.
According to estimates from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, more than two million Syrians have experienced imprisonment under the Assad family, who ruled Syria for over 50 years until the fall of Bashar Assad in December.
Half were detained in the years after the peaceful protests of 2011 whose violent suppression by the authorities sparked the country’s 14-year civil war.
