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Syria's political prisoners share stories of abuse on Beirut stage

A play by former political prisoners in Syria is showing audiences the devastating reality of abuse in Middle Eastern jails while offering a kind of therapy for those effected.
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BEIRUT — Seven former Syrian political prisoners sat at a sparse dinner table, taking turns describing their cells. Some had lived alone in a pitch-black room barely a meter high, and others were in a 12-by-6-meter dungeon with over a hundred other men.

It was the opening scene of the play “Untitled,” held at Beirut’s Zoukak Theatre Company on Nov. 11. “Untitled” was the final performance of the 10-day Sidewalks Festival, an event showcasing local and international plays, films and workshops.

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