Branch 251: Where Syria's Uprising Was Tortured to Death

According to testimony presented at the Koblenz trial, Branch 251 functioned as a primary intake and interrogation facility for people arrested at protests or checkpoints during the early months of the Syrian uprising. Detainees were brought blindfolded, stripped of their belongings and identification, and subjected to immediate violent reception: beating, stress positions, and sensory deprivation. According to survivor Wassim Mukdad, who testified at Koblenz, detainees were placed in cells so overcrowded that they had to sleep in shifts. The facility held up to 10 times its intended capacity. Food was withheld systematically. The purpose of the intake process was not information gathering — interrogators already knew why most detainees had been arrested — but degradation and punishment for political activity.

The Koblenz trial systematically documented the torture methods used at Branch 251. According to the court verdict and testimony of 80 witnesses, the following were standard practice: 'German Chair' (al-kursi al-almani) — a metal frame that hyperextends the spine until fracture; electric shock applied to genitals, ears, and fingers; suspension from ceiling by wrists (shabeh); beating with cables and metal rods; forced witness of other detainees' torture; rape and sexual assault used as interrogation tools against both male and female detainees. According to forensic medical expert testimony, many injuries documented were consistent with these methods. The court found that these methods were not aberrational acts of individual officers — they were systematic, organized policy directed by the facility's command structure, including Anwar Raslan.