The Islamic Spiritual Summit condemned Tuesday assaults against Christians in the Orient on sectarian basis, calling for the election of the only Christian head of state in the region. The summit expressed grave concern over the turbulence in the several Arab countries, which is taking racist, ideological and sectarian aspects. “The turmoil is threatening […]

  BEIRUT: An ISIS militant currently in the custody of Lebanese authorities confessed Tuesday that he filmed the beheading of two Lebanese soldiers who were captured by the group, the National News Agency reported. Abdel-Rahman Bazerbashi, also known as ‘Baghdadi’s grandson,’ confessed to Military Investigative Judge Imad Zein during interrogations Tuesday that he was behind […]

  The military court of appeals on Tuesday accepted an appeal filed by State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr against the jail sentence that was handed to former minister Michel Samaha, state-run National News Agency reported. “The court accepted the appeal in form and content after discussing all the arguments mentioned in […]

BASSEM MROUE, ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — For decades, the mere mention of Tadmur Prison was enough to send chills down a Syrian’s spine.

The notorious facility in the desert of central Syria was where thousands of dissidents were reported to have been beaten, humiliated and systematically tortured for opposing the Assad family’s rule.

This weekend, it was demolished by the Islamic State group, which took over the site near the ancient town of Palmyra last month, bringing mixed emotions from many Syrians who wanted it to remain standing so future generations would know its horrors.

"They destroyed our memories, our catastrophe and the walls that we leaned on and told our stories to," said Ali Aboudehn, a Lebanese who spent four harrowing years in Tadmur. "They destroyed the land that absorbed our blood because of torture."