In a scene of overwhelming joy and disbelief, prisoners emerged from Syria’s notorious detention centers on Sunday, walking to freedom as the government of Bashar al-Assad collapsed. The release marked the end of decades of fear and repression under a regime infamous for its brutal prison system.

Across the country, families wept and embraced loved ones who had vanished for years into Assad’s prisons, often without explanation. Freed detainees, some holding up fingers to indicate the years spent in captivity, ran through Damascus streets, shouting, “We toppled the regime!”

Prisons became early targets of the insurgents during their eight-day offensive that swept through Syria. The liberation of facilities, including the infamous Sednaya prison near Damascus, brought to light harrowing stories. In one video, rebels opened cell doors to women and children. “He (Assad) has fallen. Don’t be scared,” a voice reassured them.

For years, international organizations have documented the horrors within Assad’s prisons, where torture and starvation were rampant. Some families learned of loved ones’ deaths only through leaked photos smuggled out by a defector known as Caesar, whose images revealed thousands of tortured and starved detainees.

As insurgents marched into the capital, emotional reunions unfolded. Videos showed relatives sobbing and embracing freed prisoners, while others carried their belongings and chanted, “God is great!”