Introduction

Halawa Prison is located in the town of Abu Hamam in Deir ez-Zor province. Originally, it was a two-story house owned by a man from the Shaitat clan. The prison was established in the summer of 2014 after ISIS expanded militarily into the Shaitat areas and displaced the residents, which enabled it to seize homes and private properties.

ISIS detained Shaitat clansmen in this house, in addition to others accused of fighting against it or violating the rules it imposed on their daily lives. This situation continued until early 2018, when ISIS withdrew completely from the area.

The ISIS Prison Museum (IPM) conducted an in-depth study of the prison, documenting it with 360-degree cameras and recording four interviews with former prisoners who were held there between 2015 and 2016. This work facilitated an architectural analysis of the building, revealing the changes and acts of vandalism inflicted by ISIS.

The prison was primarily a security facility where ISIS detained individuals suspected of treason or dissent. However, some witnesses have indicated that it also housed smugglers and those accused of selling cigarettes. Consequently, it is likely that the prison operated similarly to a detention center associated with the ISIS Hisba Diwan, which handled personal, financial, and creedal matters, as well as a security prison.

Building on this foundation, the investigation traces the prison’s history and its various administrations, aiming to understand its management and how it compared to other prisons in the region. It also highlights the experiences of prisoners and examines the levels of violence and types and methods of torture they endured.

Prison Floor Plan

Halawa Prison in Abu Hamam, Deir ez-Zor province (IPM archive)

 

The area of the house-prison is 440 square meters on two floors. The ground floor was designated for detaining prisoners and included four solitary cells and two group cells, along with a hallway that was converted into a kitchen and a storage space for confiscated items. Detainees were sometimes permitted to cook their meals there. The second floor contained two or three investigation rooms, as well as a rest room, kitchen, and bathroom for the use of ISIS members.

Since it remained under ISIS control for more than three years, the prison administration had ample time to make numerous modifications to the house, transforming it into a fortified prison. This contrasts with other ISIS prisons studied by the IPM in Deir ez-Zor province, where no such modifications were observed, as those facilities were hastily established during intense fighting between ISIS and the Shaitat clan.

Architectural analysis revealed that modifications to the house included converting the diwan^[1] (reception area) into four solitary cells by replacing wooden doors with iron ones. Additionally, the windows of the two group cells were completely sealed with concrete and cinder blocks, resulting in an extremely dark environment both day and night. Continuous power outages in the area led the jailers to rely on LED lights, which became common in Syria after 2011 as a substitute for electric lamps.

Example of room modifications made by ISIS (IPM archive)

The dimensions of each newly created solitary cell were 70 centimeters wide and 150 centimeters long. Each cell included an internal bathroom and was furnished with only a mattress and a blanket. The two group cells, on the other hand, contained pillows, blankets, carpets, and tools for preparing tea for the detainees.

 

 

Prisoner Numbers, and Their Charges

 

The IPM recorded testimonies from four survivors of the prison, one of whom was arrested in 2015 and the others in 2016. A cross-referencing of the witnesses’ statements revealed a variety of reasons for their arrests and differences in the charges against them. It also showed changes in the number of detainees based on the time periods during which they were arrested.

Riyad Hamdan al-Ali, born in Kishkiyya in 1987, was detained in December 2015 for 11 days on charges of participating in the fighting against ISIS. He recounts that upon his arrival at the prison, he was separated from other detainees and taken directly for interrogation. It later became clear that the cause of his arrest was selling a rifle. ISIS deemed this to be a violation of its property rights, as it considered all weapons in the area to belong to the organization. Riyad states that the number of detainees at that time reached 50 or 60, but when he was released, it had dwindled to just three detainees.

Bashar Riyad Hamdan al-Nayef, born in 2000, was arrested on charges of “apostasy” and being a “Nusayri,” (a term used by ISIS to link a detainee to the Assad regime) in the winter of 2016. Bashar estimated that there were around 45 detainees during his time in prison, most of whom were Shaitat clansmen. He noted that the charges against them varied from selling cigarettes and owning an internet connection to fighting against ISIS.

Muhammad Ali al-Hamad, born in Kishkiyya in 1991, was arrested in March 2016 based on a tip-off regarding his possession of a hidden internet connection at home. Muhammad states that there were 25 men in the prison during his detention, most of them Shaitat clansmen. He recalls that during that period, ISIS arrested 50 individuals in one swoop, and kept them for three days. The men had attempted to return to their homes in Abu Hamam. During that time, all the detainees were held in one room.

Muhammad also says that most of those detained with him were accused of possessing internet connections, and that some others were accused of collaborating with the Assad regime or attempting to fight against ISIS. He observed a difference in the treatment of certain detainees; one received better treatment because he was from a village known for its allegiance to ISIS.

Jassem al-Muhammad, born in Kishkiyya in 1989, was arrested later that summer for selling and smuggling cigarettes. Jassem says that the raiding team that captured him included local ISIS members as well as migrants believed to be from Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt. Unlike the locals, these foreign fighters did not cover their faces during his arrest. At that time, the number of detainees in Halawa Prison was only 15, most of whom were cigarette sellers.

The testimonies indicate that the prison’s maximum capacity was approximately 60 prisoners. However, at times it was empty. Survivors reported that most were taken to spend a night or more in the dark solitary cells before being transferred to the group cells.

The testimonies reveal that Shaitat clansmen faced more violence and discrimination than others. This was due to the deep animosity ISIS held towards the clan members because the clan had fought ISIS, and had refused to pledge allegiance, leading to large-scale massacres against them and accusations of apostasy^[2].

Interrogators and Jailers

Torture and Interrogation in Halawa Prison (Illustrative Scene)

 

 

According to the testimonies collected by the IPM, various jailers worked at Halawa Prison. Their dialects indicated that they were mostly Syrians from Deir ez-Zor, Homs, Aleppo, and Raqqa, as well as some migrants from outside Syria.

Jassem al-Muhammad reports that an interrogator he believed to be Algerian interrogated him in July 2016 alongside other interrogators from Deir ez-Zor. The interrogation sessions focused on the cigarette trade and the names of smugglers. He was also questioned about battles between ISIS and the Shaitat clan.

Detainees in this prison did not report that they had appeared before an ISIS judge. The administration was limited to interrogators and jailers, along with raiding teams directly affiliated with the prison.

The testimonies also indicated a connection between Halawa Prison and the Islamic Police Prison in Abu Hamam, which was later destroyed. Detainees were sometimes transferred between these two prisons under the supervision of a jailer called Abu Zubair al-Tunisi. Additionally, former detainees mentioned another prison located outside the Shaitat areas called Hawayij Prison. Some were transferred there from Halawa Prison.

Witnesses who were imprisoned in Halawa Prison in 2016 frequently mentioned two jailers responsible for logistical matters related to feeding detainees and overseeing their conditions: Abu Dujana from Deir ez-Zor and Abu Obeida from Idlib. The witnesses unanimously noted a clear difference in how the two jailers treated them. Abu Obeida showed more leniency and understanding toward the needs of the detainees. During his shifts, they received larger food portions, and they were able to ask him questions about their fate. He also sought to install LED lights so that detainees would not remain in darkness.

On the other hand, Abu Dujana, who was an assistant to Abu Obeida, was known for his poor treatment of detainees despite his young age; he was only 16 at that time. He would often beat and verbally abuse detainees without reason, and rationed the amount of food provided to them.

Interrogation and Torture

Most interrogation sessions took place on the second floor of Halawa Prison. If only a few detainees were in the prison, however, then some interrogations occurred in the group cells.

The interrogation focused on the issue of the weapons belonging to the Shaitat clansmen. For example, the interrogation of Bashar Riyad Hamdan centered on accusations of selling weapons to factions fighting ISIS. He was also asked about specific fighters involved in the battles.

Floor plan of the first floor at Halawa Prison (IPM archive)

 

The Halawa Prison administration occasionally divided detainees according to their charges, taking them together to the second floor and then sending them before the interrogators one by one. This ensured that they did not prepare each other for interrogation by telling them the questions asked. An example of this occurred with Muhammad Ali al-Hamad, who was taken to appear before a judge on the fourth day of his detention, along with others accused of owning internet connections.

The witness states that the interrogator asked questions and answered them himself without waiting for a response. The charges were predetermined and based on the assumption that the Shaitat clansmen were enemies of ISIS and were using the internet to send external parties the coordinates of ISIS positions.

There was no designated room for torture; it mostly occurred during interrogation sessions. Jailers beat prisoners with water hoses, sticks, and electrical cables, as well as with their hands and feet, in order to extract confessions. Some detainees endured falaqa (beating on the soles of feet) and suspension in the scorpion position. This position involved binding the detainee’s hands behind his back by passing one hand over the shoulder and another around the waist before lifting him by these limbs.

The four witnesses did not mention any executions or deaths resulting from torture within the prison.

Food and Healthcare

 

Almost all of the former detainees noted that hygiene in the group cells was better than in the solitary cells. Detainees collectively took responsibility for cleaning. Their efforts proved insufficient, however, since water was usually their only cleaning material in a prison that had been used for years. They poured water in the bathrooms to prevent odors from spreading in the poorly ventilated cells. The mattresses and blankets they used were never washed or exposed to sunlight, and were infested with insects as a result.

The detainees suffered from skin allergies and colds along with cases of diarrhea. Lice and scabies also spread at certain times, prompting many detainees to shave their hair and beards to avoid infection. While showering was allowed, the lack of soap and hot water meant that detainees could only bathe a few times, and only with cold water.

As for the food provided, it primarily consisted of confiscated goods looted by ISIS from shops and markets in Abu Hamam. Witnesses noted that food boxes piled up in the hallway connecting the group cells and solitary cells. For this reason, Bashar Riyad Hamdan, one of the oldest detainees, likened Halawa Prison during his time there to a food warehouse. The confiscated items included bread, canned food such as tuna and sardines, salami, chickpeas, fava beans, as well as pasta, potatoes, eggs, and oil.

However, it seems that the quantities of food changed in 2016. During Abu Obeida’s shifts, detainees were served chicken as part of their meals. In contrast, Abu Dujana would cut rations by half, including bread. Later on, food became scarcer. By July 2016, it consisted only of boiled potatoes and bread provided to the detainees every 24 hours, according to Jassem al-Muhammad’s testimony. Some detainees were repeatedly tasked with preparing food for the rest. Jailers also ordered them to fetch water from the solitary cells when there was no water in the group cells.

In addition to the confiscated items, the hallway also contained a gas cylinder and an electric heater that was used for cooking when electricity was available, despite there being two other kitchens on the first and second floors of the house. This can be explained by the fact that the hallway was fortified with iron doors, preventing the escape of detainees responsible for food preparation.

It seems that detainees at Halawa Prison were not held for long periods. The lengths of detention for the survivors the IPM spoke to ranged from 11 to 25 days. The prison can therefore be considered a temporary detention center. Some witnesses were required to attend sharia courses or pay fines depending on the sentences against them.

It is estimated that ISIS used the house as a prison for over three years. Neither local residents nor the homeowner could provide us with an exact date for when the prison was evacuated and closed. The owners regained possession of their property when they returned to Deir ez-Zor in 2023.

1. A large external hall where the homeowner receives male guests. This hall is usually separate from the interior section of the house, which includes the bedrooms, living area, and kitchen used by the family. ↑
2. An extensive study published on the IPM website, The Shaitat Massacre: Documenting the Events and Reshaping the Narrative, details the clash between the Shaitat clan and ISIS, the events surrounding the Shaitat Massacre, and its aftermath. ↑