– What are these notes? – raged one woman. “Nobody helps us. We want someone to come and check these documents with us. How can I find him among all these prison files?’
The lack of an orderly system means that important evidence is being lost every day at sites across Syria – information about missing persons, but also potentially any links between the Assad regime and foreign governments such as the US or Britain, both of which are accused of taking advantage of the American policy of extraordinary extradition, in which terror suspects were sent for interrogation to countries that used torture.
Human rights groups have accused the British government of turning a blind eye to US practices during the so-called war on terror, when America sent detainees to several Middle Eastern countries, including Syria.
Outside, the airbase’s silent hangars are littered with the charred remains of Russian-made planes and radars damaged by repeated Israeli airstrikes last week.
Assad’s departure has changed the delicate balance of power between the warring groups in Syria and their various international backers, including Turkey, Iran and the United States.
It wasn’t just a war in Syria, and outside forces are still involved in what’s going on here.
Syrians firmly believe that the time has come for them to rule themselves, with no one telling them what to do.
As we leave, a young HTS fighter climbs onto the roof to cut down the portrait of Assad that hangs above the interrogation building.
He smiles at his comrades, who are watching from below as photos and documents from the regime’s military affairs float by their boots.
Assad’s fall has left unanswered questions about Syria’s future, but it has also left unanswered many questions from the past.
