Inside Syria’s infamous prisons once controlled by Bashar al-Assad, haunting graffiti etched by tormented inmates bears witness to their anguish, defiance, and love.

These scrawled messages and drawings, discovered after insurgents overthrew Assad’s regime in December, offer a glimpse into the minds of detainees who endured unimaginable suffering.

Since 2011, Assad’s prisons have been synonymous with brutality. Tens of thousands vanished into a network of detention centers, facing torture, overcrowding, and mass executions.

These messages, carved into cell walls, are one of the few tangible remnants of the lives lost or forever scarred within. They humanize the victims and preserve fragments of a history often shrouded in silence.

Expressions of Pain and Love

Many inscriptions reflect longing and despair. One prisoner wrote, “I miss you,” a love letter to an unknown recipient. Another left behind the message, “Don’t be sad, mother. This is my fate,” dated January 1, 2024. Layers of graffiti reveal generations of suffering, with older texts barely legible beneath newer ones.

Poetry and Prayers

Some inmates turned to poetry, quoting verses like, “When you wage your wars, think of those who ask for peace,” a line misremembered from Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. Others left prayers, such as “Oh Lord, bring relief” and “Patience is beautiful, and God the one from whom we seek help.”

Survival Through Creativity

Despite the horrors, some graffiti exhibit a dark humor or whimsy. Cartoon faces, a joint of hashish, or an imagined landscape of hills and wolves offer glimpses of inmates’ attempts to escape mentally from their grim reality. Others meticulously marked time, drawing calendars filled with rows of dots and noting milestones like, “A year passed.”

Legacy of Assad’s Prisons

The Palestine Branch detention facility in Damascus was infamous for its cruelty. Prisoners lived in windowless cells, often witnessing the deaths of their cellmates. Most detainees expected to die, with no hope their messages would ever be seen. Yet, the graffiti remains, a testament to their resilience and humanity amid systematic oppression.

Sobering Reminders

The graffiti stand as evidence of the atrocities committed in Assad’s prisons, providing a sobering reminder of the human cost of Syria’s conflict. Their preservation may play a role in ensuring the stories of these prisoners are not forgotten. Advocates stress the importance of justice and accountability for these crimes, as well as support for survivors and their families.

Newsweek has reached out to photographer Mosa’ab Elshamy for comment via X.

This is article includes reporting from The Associated Press