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CNN Investigates If Freed Syrian Prisoner Is Regime Torturer Salama Mohammad Salama

Dec 16, 2024, 09:01 PM

CNN is investigating claims that a Syrian man featured in a recent report as a freed prisoner may have concealed his true identity as a former intelligence officer implicated in war crimes under Bashar al-Assad's regime. The man, initially identified as a civilian named Adel Gharbal, was depicted in journalist Clarissa Ward's report that aired last week as being rescued from a secret prison in Damascus. Subsequent investigations by Syrian fact-checking group Verify-Sy and local residents allege that the man is actually Salama Mohammad Salama, a former first lieutenant in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Directorate, accused of torture, corruption, and extortion, including killing and torturing civilians. He reportedly had been detained for less than a month, contrary to his claim of being imprisoned for three months. After his release, he was handed over to a medical relief organization. CNN has acknowledged the possibility that the man provided a false identity and is conducting an internal investigation, adding a disclaimer to the video. The network has been unable to reestablish contact with the individual, whose current whereabouts are unknown.