Mezze prison
Encyclopedia
Mezzeh prison is a now-defunct Syria
n prison overlooking the capital, Damascus
. Mezzeh
(also transcribed as al-Mazzah, el-Mezze etc) is the name of a neighborhood in western Damascus.
Both military and political prisoner
s were held at Mezzeh prison. The prison was an infamous embodiment of Syrian government repression. Widespread human rights
abuses and torture
has been reported from the Mezzeh prison throughout its history but most notably during the rule of Hafez al-Assad
(1970–2000).
The hill-top structure dates back to crusader days. The French
rebuilt it and used Mezzeh to house anti-colonial
fighters and political prisoners. However, the prison took on a central importance for Syrian political life only in 1949, after the first Syrian coup d'état
. Coup leader Husni az-Zaim, then imprisoned his predecessor in Mezzeh, only to follow three and half months later when he was himself overthrown. Since then, Syrian leaders deposed in the many coups of the country, have almost routinely been sent to Mezze prison, and it has held many of Syria's political prisoners.
Mezzeh prison was closed on the orders of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad
in September 2000, and about 600 prisoners released. It has reportedly been converted into an institute for historical science.
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n prison overlooking the capital, Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
. Mezzeh
Mezzeh
Mezzeh is a relatively new neighborhood of Damascus, Syria. It lies to the southwest of central Damascus, along the Mezzeh highway. It started gaining importance when the French constructed the Mezzeh military airport there, which was the main airport in Damascus until Damascus International...
(also transcribed as al-Mazzah, el-Mezze etc) is the name of a neighborhood in western Damascus.
Both military and political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s were held at Mezzeh prison. The prison was an infamous embodiment of Syrian government repression. Widespread human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
abuses and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
has been reported from the Mezzeh prison throughout its history but most notably during the rule of Hafez al-Assad
Hafez al-Assad
Hafez ibn 'Ali ibn Sulayman al-Assad or more commonly Hafez al-Assad was the President of Syria for three decades. Assad's rule consolidated the power of the central government after decades of coups and counter-coups, such as Operation Wappen in 1957 conducted by the Eisenhower administration and...
(1970–2000).
The hill-top structure dates back to crusader days. The French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
rebuilt it and used Mezzeh to house anti-colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
fighters and political prisoners. However, the prison took on a central importance for Syrian political life only in 1949, after the first Syrian coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
. Coup leader Husni az-Zaim, then imprisoned his predecessor in Mezzeh, only to follow three and half months later when he was himself overthrown. Since then, Syrian leaders deposed in the many coups of the country, have almost routinely been sent to Mezze prison, and it has held many of Syria's political prisoners.
Mezzeh prison was closed on the orders of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000. Al-Assad was elected in 2000, re-elected in 2007, unopposed each time.- Early Life :...
in September 2000, and about 600 prisoners released. It has reportedly been converted into an institute for historical science.