Syrian families' 'unbearable' wait to know fate of detained relatives
Families of Syrian detainees have been searching for their missing loved ones since thousands of prisoners were released after the fall of the Assad regime on Sunday.
The family of a Syrian dentist who was arrested along with her six children has told the BBC they are still hoping to find them - as is the sister of a single mother who disappeared mysteriously.
Meanwhile, the daughter of a US-based psychotherapist who was snatched in 2017 and is thought to be dead says she has been buoyed by videos of people who were declared dead being found alive.
As rebel forces swept across the country in recent weeks, they freed thousands of political prisoners held in government jails - including the notorious Saydnaya prison near the capital, Damascus.
But with torture and executions commonplace in these places under Bashar al-Assad's government, many are still waiting to see if their relatives are among those freed.
I want closure'
Ghinwa Muhammad Azzam was in the port city of Latakia when she went missing in 2017.
Ghinwa's sister, Sanaa, tearfully told the BBC she did not know how her sister disappeared, or who might have taken her after she left for her job as a rug maker.
Described as a "beautiful" and "very loving" single mother, she was not thought to be political or involved with any opposition parties.
Aside from a single call to her daughter six weeks after her disappearance, saying "just pray for me", Sanaa said Ms Azzam hasn't been heard from since.
"I want closure, I want to know if she is dead or hurt," Sanaa said.
She says a relative made contact with a prison guard two years ago, who said Ms Azzam was in a high-security prison and had an injured leg - "so we think they were torturing her" - but does not know any more than that.
That Ms Azzam's Facebook profile "vanished" makes Sanaa suspect her sister was taken by the Syrian government.
She added: "We still hope to find her alive", but after seeing videos of prisoners being released online, "I actually pray she is dead, it is heartbreaking".
Following the overthrow of the Syrian government, civilians flocked to the notorious Saydnaya prison, north of the capital city of Damascus, in the hope of finding out about missing loved ones thought to be detained there.
The prison, referred to as a "human slaughterhouse" by rights groups, is where thousands of people were believed to have been detained, tortured and executed under the Assad regime.
Those who entered the military jail circulated footage showing the stark conditions inside on social media.
"I have relatives in Aleppo, but it is not easy for them to travel to Damascus to see the prison or look for missing people," Sanaa, who lives in Texas, said.
"I hope to save my sister."
Ghinwa Muhammad Azzam was in the port city of Latakia when she went missing in 2017.
Ghinwa's sister, Sanaa, tearfully told the BBC she did not know how her sister disappeared, or who might have taken her after she left for her job as a rug maker.
Described as a "beautiful" and "very loving" single mother, she was not thought to be political or involved with any opposition parties.
Aside from a single call to her daughter six weeks after her disappearance, saying "just pray for me", Sanaa said Ms Azzam hasn't been heard from since.
"I want closure, I want to know if she is dead or hurt," Sanaa said.
She says a relative made contact with a prison guard two years ago, who said Ms Azzam was in a high-security prison and had an injured leg - "so we think they were torturing her" - but does not know any more than that.
That Ms Azzam's Facebook profile "vanished" makes Sanaa suspect her sister was taken by the Syrian government.
She added: "We still hope to find her alive", but after seeing videos of prisoners being released online, "I actually pray she is dead, it is heartbreaking".
Following the overthrow of the Syrian government, civilians flocked to the notorious Saydnaya prison, north of the capital city of Damascus, in the hope of finding out about missing loved ones thought to be detained there.
The prison, referred to as a "human slaughterhouse" by rights groups, is where thousands of people were believed to have been detained, tortured and executed under the Assad regime.
Those who entered the military jail circulated footage showing the stark conditions inside on social media.
"I have relatives in Aleppo, but it is not easy for them to travel to Damascus to see the prison or look for missing people," Sanaa, who lives in Texas, said.
"I hope to save my sister."