Zeynep ConkarHistory is marked by moral crossroads – moments when individuals must choose between self-preservation and doing what’s right.
Syrian pilot Ragheed Ahmad al-Tatari made that choice with extraordinary courage, refusing to carry out a regime’s deadly orders. His act of defiance would cost him more than four decades behind bars, yet it would define him as a hero for generations.
Al-Tatari became the former Syrian Assad regime’s longest-imprisoned detainee, spending 43 years in Syria’s notorious prison system before being freed in December, when opposition fighters seized control of Damascus.
His crime? Refusing to bomb his own people.
What makes Tatari’s story especially profound is that he was once offered release – if only he would request clemency, says Dr Noor Ghazal Aswad, assistant professor of Political Rhetoric at the University of Alabama,
“But he refused, on principle, because he had done nothing wrong by refusing to bomb civilians,” Aswad tells TRT World. “Just for that reason, he endured 43 years behind bars, making him the world’s longest-serving political prisoner.”
After decades in the shadows, Tatari’s story has earned international recognition. In 2024, Türkiye awarded him the International Benevolence Award through its Presidency of Religious Affairs.
“Ragheed Ahmad al-Tatari reminds us of the highest meaning of conscience, courage, and benevolence by dedicating his life to prison to avoid massacring his people,” the award statement read.
“Al-Tatari listened to his conscience and refused to obey the order to bomb innocent people.”
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Born in Damascus in 1955, Tatari joined the Syrian Air Force in his early 20s. His life took a dramatic turn in 1980 when he, along with a group of fellow pilots, defied orders to bomb the city of Hama – targeted by Hafez al Assad’s regime during the brutal crackdown that led to a month-long massacre.
Up to 40,000 people were killed in indiscriminate shelling, mass executions, and the near total destruction of the city.
Their refusal would end their military careers. Tatari was stripped of his rank and forced to flee to Jordan, then Egypt. But his asylum requests were denied.
Left with no other option, he returned to Syria in late 1981 – only to be arrested upon arrival at Damascus International Airport. The regime swiftly sentenced him to life in prison.
Tatari would remain behind bars for over four decades, enduring unimaginable torture and abuse across some of Syria’s most infamous prisons.
Life in Syrian dungeons
Tatari’s ordeal began with two years in solitary confinement at Mezzeh Prison. He was later transferred to Tadmor (Palmyra) Prison – infamous for its brutality – where he remained until 2000.
From there, he was moved to Sednaya Prison, then finally to Adra Central Prison in 2011, where he remained until his release.
Tatari’s so-called trial was a mockery of the judicial process; it lasted less than a minute before he was sentenced to life behind bars. What followed were decades of physical and psychological torture as detailed in an exclusive report by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), which has documented 72 methods of torture used in Assad’s prisons under the Baath regime.
It estimates that at least 1.2 million people were detained by regime forces during the civil war, which started in 2011, many of whom were tortured – some to death.
Prisoners were forced into labour, held in prolonged isolation, and subjected to severe mistreatment that violated basic human rights. Physical torture included pouring boiling water on prisoners, simulated drowning, and electrocution.
Some detainees were subjected to gruesome acts such as molten plastic poured onto their bodies, soldiers extinguishing cigarettes on their skin, and setting their hair, fingers, and ears on fire.
“Prisoners can describe the physical torment they suffered, but they cannot convey the emotions that came with it,” Tatari said.
“We did not fear death –we feared showing weakness before them,” he added.
Symbol of righteousness
Despite the horrors he endured, Tatari never lost his spirit. Diab Serrih, a former cellmate and representative of the Association of Detainees and the Missing in Sednaya Prison (ADMSP), spoke of his enduring strength: “No words sufficient to describe Ragheed.”
“Everyone who knows him is impressed by his bold and strong-willed nature. Despite enduring decades of systematic oppression and torture, they could not break his spirit or rid him of his smile,” Serrih said.
For many Syrians, al-Tatari has come to embody the moral conscience of a nation.
“When I heard the story of al-Tatari, I was incredibly moved simply because it makes you question if you yourself would hold on to your principles at the expense of your own freedom,” said University of Alabama’s Aswad.
“And the honest truth is that I think many of us would falter."
