Tartus, western Syria – Syria’s Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday
the arrest of a former deputy director of Saydnaya Prison, one of the Assad regime’s most infamous detention centers, where thousands of detainees are believed to have died.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the ministry said security forces in Tartus province, on Syria’s western coast, carried out a “precise and high-level operation” that led to the capture of Colonel Thaer Hussein.
According to the statement, Hussein was found hiding in a remote area of rural Tartus and has been handed over to the relevant judicial authorities for prosecution.
The arrest comes as part of a broader wave of detentions by Syrian security services. Just a day earlier, authorities in Idlib announced the capture of Ziad Kokash, a retired army colonel accused of war crimes and grave abuses against civilians.
Read more: Former Syrian Army Colonel Arrested for Alleged War Crimes
Kokash, who allegedly took part in violent crackdowns on peaceful protests and later commanded military checkpoints in Hama province, continued military activities after his retirement in 2016 by joining the government’s 25th Division. He is accused of helping plan and lead offensives against opposition-held areas, resulting in widespread civilian harm.
The Interior Ministry said both arrests reflect the government’s “ongoing efforts to track down those responsible for crimes and abuses against the Syrian people and ensure they face justice.”
