As she was brought into prison, she was able to see, under her blindfold, prisoners who were hung, and others who were screaming from having their nails pulled out by their jailers.
"I was taken to the office of the head of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Directorate, Jamil Hassan," she told Al Arabiya. "He threatened me, shouted and cussed at me. I was questioned until night time, and then transferred to Mazzeh's Air Force Intelligence Airport in Damascus, where I was placed in an isolated cell."
Caroline Ayoub, a Christian who worked as an operations manager at the Paris Gallery in Damascus, was arrested on April 11 last year after secret police accused her of being a terrorist in possession of explosives.
"I met at a coffee shop with my friends, who were working with me to pass out Easter chocolate eggs to children across the suburbs of Damascus," said Ayoub. "I had two small cameras, one for me to film children's reactions, and the other for my friend to use in the areas she'd be visiting. Before we knew it, we were under arrest inside the coffee shop, with more than 20 officers surrounding us."
"We decorated the Easter chocolate eggs with ribbons, and on each ribbon we wrote a verse from both the Bible and the Quran, because we wanted our children to be aware of our unity."
Ayoub became an activist after her best friend was arrested for criticizing the government.
"Prior to Bilal's arrest, I was only an observer to the protests and the violence that was committed towards activists, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to get involved in the chaos as I was considered to have a perfect, luxurious life with a very high salary," she said. "I didn't think I was ready to lose all that."
Following Bilal's arrest, Ayoub met a Muslim woman known as Um Ubada, with whom she worked in reaching out to families affected by the conflict. Ayoub said they did not allow the religion of the families they were helping to stand in the way of meeting their needs.
"When you're so involved in helping the people of your country, the courage you have in you overcomes the feeling of being afraid."
Caroline Ayoub
"I realized that in order for us to live in the same country, we all need to work together and accept our differences before accepting our similarities," said Ayoub.
The aid provided to families across Duma, one of the first places to be hit by the regime, ranged from smuggling medicines and milk, to fundraising for surgical operations and paying house rents.
Ayoub said she was stunned at the distorted images people living in the suburbs had towards Christians. In many of the houses she visited with Um Ubada, she had to dress up in a burka to sit amongst the people and hear what they thought of her religion.
"Um Ubada used to reveal my identity after each visit, and tell them I'm the Christian woman who helped their families meet their needs."
Secret police arrested Um Ubada in December 2011 in Ummayed Square, the center of the capital. Ayoub said she has not seen Um Ubada since, but knows that she is still a prisoner.
Ayoub was brought in twice for questioning, and threatened by Hassan over her ties with Um Ubada. She was also repeatedly warned by a guard named Yacoub that her silence would result in him taking her underground to be tortured to death. She said questions included whether she loved Bashar al-Assad. Other questions terrified her, and made her feel as if they knew everything about her activities.
"Both times, I was released because they kept giving me the treatment of a Christian," she said.
However, the third arrest was different. Ayoub was the only female at the Mazzeh Air Force Intelligence Airport prison, which the Syrian Human Rights Watch has described as the worst jail in the country.
"I was placed in an isolated cell that was next to the torture chamber. I wasn't able to sleep for the month I was there. The agonized voices of the prisoners haunted me even after I was released," said Ayoub.
She begged the jailers to place her with other prisoners.
"Being isolated from everyone, yet hearing the torture of prisoners was much more painful than being physically tortured," she said, explaining that when prisoners are beaten, they do not have the time to think because they are consumed by pain.
"I reached a point while in isolation where I'd shut my ears and hit my head against the wall, wishing they'd torture me and beat me instead."
Because Ayoub was the only female at that prison, she said every officer addressed her as if she was male.
Five days before her release, she had a severe case of scabies which extended beneath her skin.
Ayoub's skin after suffering from scabies while in prison. (Al Arabiya)
"They were coming out from everywhere, my bra, my underwear. I became insane trying to stop them from spreading further into my body," she said.
After refusing to shower for 25 days, she decided to wash in the hope of getting rid of the scabies. "I refused to shower because there's no door that would give me the privacy I need to clean myself, and all of them there are men."
She was then attacked by a guard who tried to sexually assault her, but stopped because of her screams.
"They kept telling me that if only I wasn't a Christian, my fate would've been different."
Ayoub was released to receive medical treatment, and then fled the country. Regardless of the horror she experienced in prison, she said she would not have done anything differently.
"When you're so involved in helping the people of your country, the courage you have in you overcomes the feeling of being afraid."
15 Mar, 2013
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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2013/03/15/Syrian-female-prisoner-spared-regime-brutality-for-being-Christian.html
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