Lelun Afrin
“If the people one day will to live, then fate must surely heed their call.”
These words resonate deeply with Youssef Ahmad (a pseudonym), a survivor of arbitrary detention by factions affiliated with the Syrian National Army (SNA) in Afrin. His story is one of resilience, pain, and an unyielding pursuit of freedom and justice.
Ahmad recounts his early life:
“I was born into a humble family, modest in our means but rich in hope and hard work. I grew up in a rural environment, spending my days herding sheep and farming, and my nights studying by the dim light of our simple home. My dream was to become a lawyer—to fight for the justice that my war-torn homeland has long been denied.”
But that dream was brutally interrupted when Ahmad turned 17.
A life shattered overnight
“Everything changed overnight,” Ahmad told Lelun team. “At 17, during the ‘Operation Olive Branch’ military offensive in Afrin, my village was overrun. Arrest campaigns swept through, targeting young men and adults under the pretext of ‘security procedures.’ I thought I was safe—I was a minor, and my father was elderly. But they came for me too.”
Ahmad was forcibly taken from his home, blindfolded, and handcuffed. His journey into the unknown began.
Brutality in detention
Describing his arrival at the detention facility, Ahmad said: “I felt the cell was underground. I was met with torture and humiliation, beaten so severely that I lost consciousness. When I came to, I found myself in a cramped, foul-smelling cell, the mattress stained with blood. I closed my eyes and collapsed into an exhaustion-fueled sleep.”
Torture became routine: hunger, humiliation, and relentless beatings. Weeks passed in unbearable conditions. Lice infested his body, and even the simplest necessities, like a blanket for warmth, were denied.
“One day, a fellow prisoner handed me food laced with poison. A young girl in a nearby cell warned me, but hunger knows no mercy. I ate it and fell gravely ill. Instead of helping me, the guards beat and tortured me further.”
In the interrogation room, Ahmad was presented with papers containing fabricated charges. “They forced prisoners to confess to false accusations under torture, justifying our detentions,” he said. “I was filmed confessing to lies, repeating the words they demanded.”
Two years passed in this prison before Ahmad was transferred to another facility, where conditions were marginally better.
“In the second prison, I could share my suffering with others,” Ahmad recalled. “But after two years, I was moved again, this time to solitary confinement. Loneliness became my greatest torment. I prayed constantly for my family’s safety and for the strength to endure.”
After six years of detention, Ahmad made a bold decision: to escape.
The bold decision
“With a group of friends, we planned for months, inspired by the poem, ‘If the people one day will to live, then fate must surely heed their call.’
On a dark night, we broke through one door after another until we were free. The air outside felt like my first breath of life. I ran relentlessly toward safety.”
The morning after his escape, Ahmad reunited with his family in secret. “My mother collapsed in tears when she saw me. She trembled with shock. I knelt and kissed her feet with a heart full of anguish and longing.”
Fearing re-arrest and its consequences for his family, Ahmad made the difficult choice to leave his village. “That day felt like my soul was reborn. I couldn’t believe I had survived and could see my family again.”
A prayer for justice
Now free but carrying the scars of his ordeal, Ahmad concludes his story with a solemn prayer: “I emerged from prison a young man with an old soul burdened by grief. In every prayer, I ask God to bring justice to those who stole six years of my life, who shattered my youth and dreams. They took my best years, but they will never silence my voice.
I will continue to tell the world of the injustices we endured. Freedom came at great cost, but it will only be complete when every oppressor is held accountable for their actions. Only then can true justice prevail.”