American Released from Syrian Prison Following Assad Regime’s Fall
An American man, identifying himself as Travis Timmerman, has been discovered near Damascus after escaping from a Syrian prison amid the chaotic collapse of the Assad regime. Timmerman, who claimed he was apprehended upon entering Syria seven months ago, expressed that he had been striving to leave the country since his release following the weekend’s tumultuous upheaval.
A Heist at Dawn
“My door was busted down, it woke me up,” Timmerman recounted. “I thought the guards were still there, so I thought the warfare could have been more active than it ended up being… Once we got out, there was no resistance, there was no real fighting.”
Two men, armed with hammers, stormed his prison cell on Monday morning, Timmerman said. He stated that he fled with a large group of fellow prisoners and was now striving to reach safety in Jordan.
Escape and Uncertainty
Speaking of his initial flight from the prison, Timmerman admitted, “I had a few moments of fear.” However, he asserted that his prevailing concern now isn’t for his safety, but rather finding a place to rest.
“I’m feeling well. I’ve been fed and I’ve been watered, so I’m feeling well,” he said, revealing that he had access to a mobile phone during his imprisonment and had spoken to his family three weeks prior to his escape.
Thousands Freed From Notorious Prisons
Timmerman’s release coincides with the liberation of thousands of other prisoners across Syria in the wake of the Assad regime’s collapse. The Assad regime’s prison system was infamous for its brutality. The UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that nearly 60,000 people were tortured and killed in Assad’s prisons.
Timmerman’s relatively safe treatment stands in stark contrast to the accounts of torture, violence, and extrajudicial killings that have emerged from these prisons. His case offers a glimpse into the complex and often harrowing realities unfolding in Syria amid a period of dramatic political and social upheaval.
