CNN's disgrace: 'Poor prisoner' revealed to be a brutal officer of the Assad regime

December 17, 2024   

CNN officially confirms: 'The 'poor prisoner' who was documented in the prison in Damascus, after the overthrow of the regime - is actually a former intelligence officer in Assad's army. The prisoner documented in a moving article by veteran journalist Clarissa Ward, when he was informed that Syria was free, introduced himself as Adel G'Arbel from the city of Homs. However, according to a report on Channel 12, there is a twist in the plot: many Syrian citizens from the city of Homs claimed that his name was "Abu Hamza" and that he commanded the air force intelligence system in the city and was responsible for serious harm to their lives. A photo presented by the Syrian citizens achieved a 99% match in special facial recognition software with the photographs in the article. It is estimated that he was indeed imprisoned for a period of less than a month for an argument over the division of loot extorted from civilians. According to local reports, the prisoner was imprisoned following a financial dispute with a more senior officer, and it was also alleged that he participated in the killing and torture of civilians in 2014.  

""Syria is free.""

Extraordinary moment as @clarissaward and her team witness a Syrian prisoner freed from a secret prison in Damascus. Left alone for days without food, water or light, the man was unaware Bashar al-Assad's regime had fallen. pic.twitter.com/ZAnGiBlLON — CNN International PR (@cnnipr) December 11, 2024

CNN commented on the development: "No one except the CNN team was aware of our plans to visit there. The events occurred as they appear in our story. The decision to release the prisoner was made by the Syrian rebel. We reported the events as they unfolded, including what the prisoner told us, with clear attribution." The network admitted that the prisoner may have presented himself falsely: "We subsequently investigated his background and are aware that he may have given the team a false identity. We continue to report on this and the broader story.".