Dispatches from Syria: Sally Hayden goes inside Sednaya prison

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Fighters from the rebel alliance that took power in Syria are greeted in Damascus in Syria on December 14th, 2024. Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times
Fighters from the rebel alliance that took power in Syria are greeted in Damascus in Syria on December 14th, 2024. Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times

In the early hours of Sunday, December 8th, Syrians across the globe watched in shock and disbelief as news emerged that a rebel Coalition had overthrown the Assad regime.

Irish Times international correspondent Sally Hayden was in her home in Beirut when the news broke and, the next day, she crossed the land border into Syria for the first time.

The only journalist from any Irish media outlet to witness first-hand, the dramatic scenes that unfolded in the days following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, Hayden has reported on the excitement, emotion and trepidation of Syrians as their country enters this new political era.

Hayden also visited the notorious Sednaya prison, where she met Syrian families desperately searching for information on loved ones who disappeared during the 13 years of Civil War.

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What is daily life like for Syrians now? Do they trust Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, to rebuild a peaceful and inclusive society?

And, how do they feel about the hundreds of Israeli air strikes on the country since Assad fled?

Today on In the News, Sally Hayden on the excitement, emotion and uncertainty following the fall of Assad .

Presented by Sorcha Pollak.

Produced by Aideen Finnegan.

Sorcha Pollak

Sorcha Pollak

Sorcha Pollak is an Irish Times reporter specialising in immigration issues and cohost of the In the News podcast