A Lebanese man who spent 32 years in Syrian prisons returned home Sunday, reuniting with his family after an unexpected release amid chaos in war-torn Syria.
Suheil Hamwi, 60, was one of hundreds of Lebanese citizens detained during Syria’s occupation of Lebanon from 1976 to 2005. He was taken in 1992 from his home in Chekka, a northern Lebanese town, by unknown men. His family heard little from him for years.
Freedom came suddenly as opposition forces overran the prison in Latakia where Hamwi was held. Guards abandoned their posts, and prisoners were freed. “The first door opened,” Hamwi recalled. “Then others followed. And for those who couldn’t open their gates, they started coming out through the walls.”
Hamwi crossed into Lebanon through the Arida border crossing, where his family awaited. He walked into his home — the same one he left decades ago — and met his grandchildren for the first time. “I’m still scared this might not be real,” he told The Associated Press from his living room, surrounded by photos of family moments he had missed.
Hamwi was detained under unclear circumstances in 1992. He described interrogations in Syria’s Saydnaya prison as cryptic and said he spent years in near-total isolation, enduring torture early on. Visits from his wife, Josephine, began in 2008 and occurred about once a year.
On Sunday, neighbors and friends gathered outside Hamwi’s apartment, sharing laughter and sweets as they welcomed him back. “Do you know me? Do you remember me?” one friend asked. Hamwi studied the man’s face before replying, “You’re Jean! Yes, you’re Jean.”
Hamwi has since undergone medical tests to assess the toll of his captivity and is adjusting to life outside prison walls. He looks forward to reuniting with his only son, George, an engineer working in the Gulf. In their first phone call, George told his father, “I miss you. I love you. I’m waiting to see you.”
