Mental Illness Affects HTS Detainees
Every day, we hear new stories and various accounts of torture in the prisons of the liberated areas, stories that would make one’s hair turn gray. Breaking bones has become something normal to our ears, and it is no surprise since the extent of the torture in the prisons of the liberated areas has become evident to everyone. This has led some people to confess to being agents, and even to admit to crimes against their honor, may Allah protect us.
Among those who have been subjected to this severe torture is a Turkish migrant youth named Murat Özdemir, who lost his sanity in the prisons of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham due to the severe torture he endured in Mughaara Prison 88 in the village of Sheikh Bahr. This is not the first case; rather, it is the third documented case that we are aware of, and what is hidden may be even greater.
The first case was of a Syrian citizen from the city of Salqin on the Turkish border, known inside the prison as Abu Walid Salqin. He was arrested at the end of 2020 and placed in Mughaara Prison 88 in the second dormitory. He was released in mid-2021 after insanity had gripped him. All the inmates in the dormitory witnessed his torture, and he was treated for the effects of the torture before his release by another prisoner named Abu Muhammad al-Homsi.
The second case was of a Turkish citizen named Mustafa Kılıçlı. He was in the first dormitory in Harem Prison 55, and he was severely tortured before being placed in solitary confinement. They began treating him for the effects of the torture before handing him over to the Turkish intelligence at the Bab al-Hawa crossing in April 2022.
The third case is that of Murat Özdemir, the Turkish man who is the subject of our discussion.
This severe torture that leads to loss of mind has not been witnessed by the Islamic nation except during the era of the Mongols, who were known for their disbelief and atheism in their battles against the Abbasids. The severity of the torture we see and hear about daily tells you that the perpetrator of these actions belongs to a religion that harbors hatred towards Muslims and brutalizes them, and is not connected to Islam in any way.
One proof of this is that the severe torture used to extract confessions from you exceeds the Islamic legal punishment for the crime the investigator wants you to confess to. For example, the investigator might beat you with 200 lashes on your feet until you confess to adultery, may Allah protect us, while the Islamic punishment for an unmarried person committing adultery is 100 lashes without raising the hand above shoulder level. This shows that the person behind these hateful actions against Muslims has nothing to do with Islam.
We have not heard of any Quranic verse, prophetic hadith, or fatwa from a diligent scholar that approves of such severe torture on disbelievers, let alone on Muslims. Throughout history, only the Mongols, Jews, the Christian inquisitors, or the Nusayri regime have taken pleasure in torturing Muslims. No Muslim who believes that another Muslim is his brother would torture him to this extent. Here is the horrifying story we know about Murat Özdemir to show you the severity of the pressure and torture he endured.
Murat Özdemir, the Turkish man, was arrested at the end of 2020 and placed in solitary confinement for a long period, during which he was subjected to severe torture with backward suspension and placed in a tire until he developed obsessive-compulsive disorder due to the fear and isolation he experienced daily. He would scream loudly inside the solitary confinement for several minutes, and no one would come to check on him. He began to imagine ghosts inside the solitary confinement and had constant nightmares. When the jailers came in the morning, the other prisoners would inform them of his condition, saying that he needed to be treated with Ruqyah (spiritual healing) and that he was at risk of being overpowered by jinn. However, they would mock the prisoners when they requested this and would silence them, saying this was none of their business. Eventually, jinn did overpower him, and his condition deteriorated to the point where he completely lost his mind a few days ago. He began cutting himself with razor blades on his chest, arms, and the rest of his body, and even attempted to kill himself, with the marks of the beatings still visible on his body to this day.
What is happening in the prisons of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham in terms of severe torture and human rights violations is a systematic policy, not an incidental case that can be overlooked. It is in violation of Islamic law and even man-made laws, may Allah protect us.
Another piece of evidence that this policy is systematic is the absence of a law that protects human rights despite all these violations that have become apparent to everyone. They could easily control it without much effort. If the investigator knew that the accused would be presented before a judge within a maximum of two days, he would not dare to beat him unless there was an agreement between him and the judge ensuring that he would not be held accountable. If the judge knew that the trial of the accused would be public and that the accused would be allowed to appoint a lawyer to defend him, he would not dare to issue sentences that contradict Islamic law. This indicates that it is a systematic policy agreed upon between the investigator, the prosecutor, and the judge.
This case is just one of the many cases we have heard about. If we wanted to recount all the stories we’ve heard, it would take months or years to document them, and what is hidden is even greater. There is no power nor strength except through Allah.
“And Allah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most people do not know.” -Surah Yusuf: 21
Written by Sayyid Umar
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