SYRIAN ACTORS STAGE PLAY ON REGIME PRISONERS

Mon 29 March 2021:

Syrian actors from the restive city of Idlib staged a play describing conditions in prisons of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, actor Zekeriya Seflo said that they will continue their efforts for the release of prisoners.

“We will continue to raise our voice for the prisoners. We will continue to work until the last prisoner is released,” Seflo said.

Ibrahim Sermini, the director, said that their play depicts the mental trauma the prisoners go through.

“We portrayed the brutal torture inflicted on prisoners,” Sermini said.

“Despite all our efforts, we cannot even portray a fraction of their pain,” he said, adding that they started rehearsals for the play six months ago.

The play was performed at a cultural center in Idlib.

Idlib is the site of a de-escalation zone forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia. The area has been the subject of multiple cease-fire understandings, which have frequently been violated by the Assad regime and its allies.

Syria has been embroiled in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

More than 5 million civilians have since been displaced.

-AA