Anger reigns in the Syrian capital as families search for loved ones who have disappeared or died in the ousted regime's brutal prison system.
At the funeral of a victim of torture in prison, people called for the execution of President Bashar al-Assad, less than a week after he fled the country.
Everyone VOA spoke to said they had lost someone in the brutal prison system, which collapsed along with the regime.
"God, where is my son? I want to see him, hold him, smell him. I don't know where he is. They took him from me. I hope God will take them," a Syrian woman told Glas Amerika.
The young man who was buried, Mazen al-Hamada, died in prison after speaking publicly about being tortured.
At a hospital, families search for the remains of people they believe have recently passed away.
On the wall, in front of the hospital, are photographs of bodies. Many, VOA was told, have injuries from torture.
At the hospital, dozens of bodies are waiting for identification. However, most families did not find their members here.
"My sons were arrested in 2014. They gave us death certificates, but we don't know what happened to them. This cannot be described here. Your hair turns gray," said the mother of the missing person, Majda Abu al-Omani.
In the infamous Sednaja prison, other families are searching for information that could help them find their missing members. Many believe that there are missing prisoners who are still alive in hidden facilities.
"There are living souls under the ground. Not just one or two. We've been in Sednaja for four or five days, but so far we haven't found anyone," says Hamis al-Ibrahim, whose brother has disappeared.
Syrians told Voice of America that their family members were arrested for unknown reasons, either because they said something negative about the government or because they lived in an area where activists and rebels were active.
Many expressed their anger and sadness in front of the Voice of America team, while one man asked: People from all over the world have known about this for decades and why are you filming now?"
Bonus video:
