Inside Syria’s notorious Palestine Branch: Tales of torture and fear

Palestine Branch targeted rebellious neighbourhoods in Damascus during the early stages of the Syrian revolution.

Damascus, Syria – “Palestine Branch”, also known as Branch 235, is an intelligence-run prison in Syria that everyone in the country feared and loathed.

Established in 1969, the notorious building on the southern outskirts of Damascus became known for systematic torture by the Syrian regime against its opponents and the close eye it kept on its own people.

The branch rose in the 1980s, expanding from its initial mandate of monitoring Palestinian groups and all matters concerning Palestine, it took on more and more files until it was handling more than any other branch and became widely known for its brutal torture methods and inhumane conditions.

During the early stages of the Syrian revolution, the branch was said to specifically target residents of Damascus’s southern districts, especially al-Midan, al-Qadam, Dafshok, and the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp.

Outside Palestine Branch, military trucks were parked haphazardly, mattresses, documents and pictures scattered on the floor along with military uniforms and boots left behind.