Aleppo’s eye hospital reopens after being used as prison by al Nusra

From Ruptly, 18 May 2021. Aleppo’s al-Ayoun hospital reopened on Monday as an eye surgery hospital after being used as a prison and religious court by the al-Qaeda affiliated group al-Nusra, when it controlled the area between 2012 and 2019. Doctors visited several patients with their eye examination equipment. However, the structure, which effectively now looks like a hospital, still holds visible the prison cells with barred doors where al-Nusra kept their prisoners. “We have decided not to change that, to keep it as evidence of what the terrorists have done to weak and innocent citizens who served the country,“ said Dr Yasser Mahjoub. A band played drums outside the structure, filled with many people and reportedly distinguished guests, including the Syrian Minister of Health, the governor of Aleppo, and the leader of the militia of the al-Quds Brigade.