Christina Goldbaum

So my colleagues and I drove into Syria towards the capital, Damascus, 24 hours after the rebels had seized the country. And the highway was filled with these very surreal scenes.

So my colleagues and I drove into Syria towards the capital, Damascus, 24 hours after the rebels had seized the country. And the highway was filled with these very surreal scenes.

There were checkpoints where usually you would spend hours being interrogated by police officers and security forces that had been completely abandoned. We saw posters of Bashar al-Assad that used to be ubiquitous, that had been torn down and either ripped apart or burned. And we also began to see, the closer we got to the Capitol, signs of the rebels who had entered the city.

There were checkpoints where usually you would spend hours being interrogated by police officers and security forces that had been completely abandoned. We saw posters of Bashar al-Assad that used to be ubiquitous, that had been torn down and either ripped apart or burned. And we also began to see, the closer we got to the Capitol, signs of the rebels who had entered the city.

They were driving these cars that had been painted in this kind of beige mud, almost like a makeshift camouflage from their rapid offensive towards the Capitol. And then we saw people from Damascus who were out on the streets. They were putting their fingers in a V in the air, signifying victory. And they were cheering on the rebels as they drove past them.

They were driving these cars that had been painted in this kind of beige mud, almost like a makeshift camouflage from their rapid offensive towards the Capitol. And then we saw people from Damascus who were out on the streets. They were putting their fingers in a V in the air, signifying victory. And they were cheering on the rebels as they drove past them.

To celebrate this incredible moment in the country's history. But for a lot of people here, that moment is also about finally getting answers. The Assad government had set up this vast network of detention facilities and prisons and torture chambers that swallowed up tens of thousands of people across the country. And for years, this was a complete black box.

To celebrate this incredible moment in the country's history. But for a lot of people here, that moment is also about finally getting answers. The Assad government had set up this vast network of detention facilities and prisons and torture chambers that swallowed up tens of thousands of people across the country. And for years, this was a complete black box.

People would disappear into the system and their families would have no idea what happened to them, where they went, or whether or not they were still alive. But now, with the fall of that government, suddenly people hoped for answers.

People would disappear into the system and their families would have no idea what happened to them, where they went, or whether or not they were still alive. But now, with the fall of that government, suddenly people hoped for answers.

And as we were driving through the city, we saw a huge convoy of cars going to the epicenter of that system, a prison called Sednaya, which is one of the most notorious in all of Syria. And my colleague, Huayt Asad, and I joined them as they went on that journey.

And as we were driving through the city, we saw a huge convoy of cars going to the epicenter of that system, a prison called Sednaya, which is one of the most notorious in all of Syria. And my colleague, Huayt Asad, and I joined them as they went on that journey.

As we were driving towards the prison, you can see leading to the prison, there's this massive convoy of cars, all people who are trying to get there. We got caught in this traffic because there were thousands of people on Monday morning trying to get there.

As we were driving towards the prison, you can see leading to the prison, there's this massive convoy of cars, all people who are trying to get there. We got caught in this traffic because there were thousands of people on Monday morning trying to get there.

We ended up getting out of our car with a lot of other people and just walking down the road for about an hour until we reached the outskirts of the prison. We then walked with people up this kind of footpath that led up the hillside and to the prison gates.

We ended up getting out of our car with a lot of other people and just walking down the road for about an hour until we reached the outskirts of the prison. We then walked with people up this kind of footpath that led up the hillside and to the prison gates.

My brother-in-law, he's been in prison 2012. They were screaming the names of their relatives who had been lost into this prison. Some of them had printout photos of their sons or brothers or husbands. And were shoving them in people's faces, asking, have you seen this person? Have you seen this person?

My brother-in-law, he's been in prison 2012. They were screaming the names of their relatives who had been lost into this prison. Some of them had printout photos of their sons or brothers or husbands. And were shoving them in people's faces, asking, have you seen this person? Have you seen this person?

There were feces across the floor and messages scrawled into the walls, some of which were begging for death rather than staying there. And a lot of prisoners had escaped on Sunday morning after the government fell, but there were still thousands of others that families suspected of being in Sednaya who were still unaccounted for.

There were feces across the floor and messages scrawled into the walls, some of which were begging for death rather than staying there. And a lot of prisoners had escaped on Sunday morning after the government fell, but there were still thousands of others that families suspected of being in Sednaya who were still unaccounted for.