Two Syrian Detainees Recount Abuse in Israeli Prisons

Two young Syrian men, Wadi Bakr and Bishar Al-Qassem, have detailed their experiences of abuse and prolonged detention in Israeli prisons, including Sde Teyman, Ofer, and Megiddo. Bakr, a livestock farmer from the village of Turunja, and Al-Qassem, a high school student from Ruwayhinah, were arrested by Israeli forces in the Quneitra countryside in southern Syria. They were held for months without legal justification or formal charges. Bakr stated he was arrested on June 14, 2025, while tending his animals, and was told the process would take five minutes, but his detention lasted over 15 months. He reported being held for a month in Sde Teyman with his hands cuffed, without being questioned or informed of the reason for his arrest. He was then transferred to Ofer prison in Ramla for three months, followed by another nine months in Sde Teyman, and concluded his detention with three months in Megiddo prison. Bakr asserted he has no connection to any political or military group and was never formally charged. Al-Qassem, arrested at his home late last year, spent approximately 10 months in Sde Teyman and three months in Jalameh prison, much of which was in solitary confinement. He noted that during interrogations, questions focused on his personal life and work, with no specific charges brought against him. His detention caused him to lose an entire academic year. He also discovered after his release that his family had enrolled him in Damascus University while he was imprisoned. Families of Syrian detainees have organized protests demanding information about their relatives and their release, as southern Syria faces frequent Israeli raids involving the abduction and detention of Syrian citizens without information provided to their families, Syrian authorities, or international organizations.