Lebanese Claude Leshaa Al-Khoury, missing for four decades, has been found alive in a Syrian hospital after enduring years of captivity in Sednaya Prison. Al-Khoury was kidnapped by the Syrian regime 40 years ago, during a period of widespread abductions in Lebanon.
In the current photo, it appears he lost his eye and is extremely malnourished. The majority of prisoners taken to Sednaya don’t make it out alive.
His release came after opposition forces took control of parts of Syria and opened the doors to long-shuttered prisons, shedding light on the fate of countless missing persons. Al-Khoury’s survival offers hope for families still searching for their loved ones, but also highlights the harrowing realities of detention under the Assad regime.
Up to 10,000 Lebanese are still missing believed to have been taken by the Assad regime. Many were teenagers or in their 20s and opposed the Syrian occupation.
