A Lebanese man who spent 32 years in Syrian prisons is welcomed home

Associated Press

CHEKKA, Lebanon (AP) — Suheil Hamwi spent 32 years in a Syrian prison, and now, after an offensive by insurgents that toppled the government of Bashar Assad, he’s finally returned to his home to Lebanon. Hamwi was one of hundreds of Lebanese citizens detained during Syria’s occupation of Lebanon from 1976 to 2005 and believed to be held in Syrian prisons for decades. On Sunday, freedom came to him and others unexpectedly. Prisoners who’d heard rumors about the opposition forces’ advancement found guards had abandoned their posts. Hamwi and other prisoners left. He’d soon be among the first from Lebanon to reenter the country. From the same home he left decades ago, he told The Associated Press in an interview that “I found my freedom.”