For half a century, the Assad family ruled over the country with an iron fist, with long-documented reports of “mass incarceration, torture, extra-judicial killings and atrocities” against their own people.

The rebels will “announce List no. 1 that includes names of the most senior officials involved in torturing the Syrian people”, according to a statement from Military Operations Command, the rebel coalition led by armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

HTS “will not hesitate to hold accountable the criminals, murderers, security and army officers involved in torturing the Syrian people”, said its leader Ahmed Al Sharaa, better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.

“We will pursue war criminals and demand them from the countries to which they fled so that they may receive their just punishment.”

The statement added rewards would be offered for information about senior army and security officers involved in alleged war crimes.

Sharaa also reiterated that a general amnesty for conscripted soldiers in the Syrian military remains in force. The rebels earlier urged the Assad regime’s security forces to register with what they are calling “a settlement center”. Amnesty does not apply to officers and soldiers who volunteered to serve.

Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham militants, along with other anti-government factions, seized control of Damascus on Saturday following a swift advance in several regions of Syria.

The Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, are still digging and searching for ways to reach the prisoners in Sednaya’s underground sections, known as the red prison.

While the Association of Detainees and The Missing in Sednaya Prison said on X that there were no prisoners remaining in the facility, rescuers are still trying to reach lower, underground levels.

The prison, known as a “human slaughterhouse” for its highly documented human rights abuses, was found to be much more complex than previously expected.

In a statement shared online, the White Helmets offered a financial reward of $5,000 “for anyone who provides direct information leading to the identification of secret prisons in Syria where detainees are being held”, raising the amount from $3,000.

“We extend a special invitation to former security officers and those working in the security branches to help in accessing these secret prisons, as we emphasise the importance and necessity of this contribution, and we guarantee to them that we will maintain the confidentiality of the sources,” the organisation noted.

In the afternoon, the White Helmets said no evidence has yet been found of any prisoners remaining in the facility, though their search continues.

Crowds of people remain gathered around the prison, having flocked there hoping to find their disappeared loved ones, while Facebook groups are flooded with images of people’s missing relatives.

Rebels and rescuers searching Sednaya prison’s facilities found cameras that allegedly showed inmates in their cells.

They also found an “iron execution press”, which was reportedly used by the Syrian government to crush inmates after their execution.

Nearby blood stained ropes were found.

Thousands of inmates have already been freed from government prisons across Syria, including Sednaya.

Syrian doctors have also rushed to the Sednaya prison to help prisoners who have been freed from the notorious detention facility.