'I stayed in this room for over a year and a half,' former inmate at Syria's Sednaya prison returns

NPR | By Jane Arraf

Published February 22, 2026 at 5:06 PM EST

An inmate who was imprisoned for 21 years in Syria's notorious Sadnaya prison shows NPR's Jane Arraf the concrete cells where he was held.

NPR News

Jane Arraf

Jane Arraf covers Egypt, Iraq, and other parts of the Middle East for NPR News.

WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.

Contribute now

Related Content

NPR News

Northeast readies for a major winter storm, with blizzard warnings in effect

Chandelis Duster

New Jersey through Massachusetts could see 2 feet of snow. New York City's mayor said the city had not "seen a storm like this in a decade."
Some U.S. Olympians live, train (and fall in love) in the countries they compete against

Brian Mann

Some U.S. Olympians at the Winter Games spend most of their lives overseas, training and putting down roots in the countries they compete against.
What to expect from this week's State of the Union address by President Trump

Luke Garrett, Emily Kwong

Tariffs, DHS funding and international tensions are expected to be at the heart of the president's State of the Union speech to Congress this week.
History of mixed-race children orphaned in Germany after WWII inspires new novel by Sadeqa Johnson

Justine Kenin, Elena Burnett, Emily Kwong

NPR's Emily Kwong speaks with Sadeqa Johnson about her new novel THE KEEPER OF LOST CHILDREN and discovering the story of mixed-race children who were left in German orphanages following World War II.
NPR News

Ukrainian military chaplain shares wisdom from the frontlines

Daniel Ofman, Emily Kwong, Jordan-Marie Smith

Father Andriy Zelinskyy, a chaplain in wartime Ukraine, talks about what he sees in the trenches and what he's learned about the fragility of humanity, years into the war with Russia.