Warning: This episode contains descriptions of torture and death. It also contains audio of death and grief.

Under Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian government set up a vast network of prisons and torture chambers that swallowed up tens of thousands of people. For years, those perceived as enemies of the regime would disappear into the system, and their families would have no idea what happened to them.

Christina Goldbaum, who has covered the events in Syria, takes us inside one of those prisons and tells the story of one man who survived to tell the tale.

Guest: Christina Goldbaum (https://www.nytimes.com/by/christina-goldbaum) , the Afghanistan and Pakistan bureau chief for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Families of the missing are hoping that they may be reunited with loved ones or at least learn what happened to them (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/11/world/middleeast/syria-prisoners-dead.html) .
• Amid the celebrations after the ouster of Mr. al-Assad, Syria has also found itself in the opening chapter of a nationwide reckoning (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/14/world/middleeast/syria-sednaya-prison-assad-atrocities.html) over the horrors that his government inflicted.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (http://nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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