Thousands of prisoners held in Syria’s notorious prisons remain unaccounted for, days after President Bashar al-Assad fled for Russia. Families face an agonising search for their loved ones during a bittersweet moment of freedom. We dive into the emotional toll and the ongoing fight for answers.

In this episode:


Wafa Ali Mustafa (@WafaMustafa9), Syrian activist


Justin Salhani (@JustinSalhani), Journalist


Ammar Alselmo, White Helmets volunteer

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters, Sonia Bhagat, and Sarí el-Khalili with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Duha Mosaad, Hagir Saleh and Cole Van Miltenburg, and our host, Malika Bilal. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

Thousands of prisoners held in Syria&rsquo;s notorious prisons remain unaccounted for, days after President Bashar al-Assad fled for Russia. Families face an agonising search for their loved ones during a bittersweet moment of freedom. We dive into the emotional toll and the ongoing fight for answers.
In this episode:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Wafa Ali Mustafa (<a href="https://x.com/WafaMustafa9">@WafaMustafa9</a>), Syrian activist
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Justin Salhani (<a href="https://x.com/JustinSalhani">@JustinSalhani</a>), Journalist
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Ammar Alselmo, White Helmets volunteer
</li>
</ul>
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Amy Walters, Sonia Bhagat, and Sar&iacute; el-Khalili with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Duha Mosaad, Hagir Saleh and Cole Van Miltenburg, and our host, Malika Bilal.&nbsp;
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is The Take&rsquo;s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera&rsquo;s head of audio.
Connect with us:
@AJEPodcasts on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/AJEPodcasts">Twitter</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajepodcasts/">Instagram,&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AJEPodcasts">Facebook</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.threads.net/@ajepodcasts">Threads</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzGHKb8i9vTwjZkiFu6LhzsLUKFkYO60I">YouTube</a>

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.

With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.
With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.

The Take

The Take - Disco

Sednaya prison falls, revealing the Assads’ legacy of torture

When everything is lost, what remains? For Mosab Abu Toha, it’s poetry. He shares how his verses capture the grief and resilience of Gaza in the midst of destruction.

In this episode:
Mosab Abu Toha (@MosabAbuToha), Palestinian Poet

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Sarí el-Khalili, Sonia Bhagat, and Amy Walters, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Duha Mosaad, Cole van Miltenburg, and our host, Malika Bilal. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is the Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. 

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

When everything is lost, what remains? For Mosab Abu Toha, it&rsquo;s poetry. He shares how his verses capture the grief and resilience of Gaza in the midst of destruction.
In this episode:
<ul>
<li>Mosab Abu Toha (<a href="https://x.com/MosabAbuToha">@MosabAbuToha</a>), Palestinian Poet</li>
</ul>
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Sar&iacute; el-Khalili, Sonia Bhagat, and Amy Walters, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Duha Mosaad, Cole van Miltenburg, and our host, Malika Bilal.&nbsp;
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is the Take&rsquo;s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera&rsquo;s head of audio.&nbsp;
Connect with us:
@AJEPodcasts on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/AJEPodcasts">Twitter</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajepodcasts/">Instagram,&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AJEPodcasts">Facebook</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.threads.net/@ajepodcasts">Threads</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzGHKb8i9vTwjZkiFu6LhzsLUKFkYO60I">YouTube</a>

Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha: breaking free with words

In an 11-day offensive, Syrian opposition fighters have ended more than 50 years of Assad family rule. President Bashar al-Assad has fled to Moscow. As the Syrian people celebrate the fall of the regime, where will their country go from here?

In this episode:
Arwa Damon (@IamArwaDamon), President and Founder of INARA 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan, Sarí el-Khalili, and Alexandra Locke, with Hagir Saleh, Manny Panartous, and our host, Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. It was edited by Sarí el-Khalili. 

The Take production team is Marcos Bartolomé, Sonia Bhagat, Sarí el-Khalili, Tamara Khandaker, Phillip Lanos, Chloe K. Li, Ashish Malhotra, Khaled Soltan, and Amy Walters. Our editorial interns are Duha Mosaad, Hagir Saleh, and Cole van Miltenburg. Our host is Malika Bilal. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Aya Elmileik is lead of audience engagement.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is the Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. We’ll be back tomorrow.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

In an 11-day offensive, Syrian opposition fighters have ended more than 50 years of Assad family rule. President Bashar al-Assad has fled to Moscow. As the Syrian people celebrate the fall of the regime, where will their country go from here?
In this episode:
<ul>
<li>Arwa Damon (<a href="https://x.com/iamarwadamon?s=11">@IamArwaDamon</a>), President and Founder of INARA </li>
</ul>
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan, Sarí el-Khalili, and Alexandra Locke, with Hagir Saleh, Manny Panartous, and our host, Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. It was edited by Sarí el-Khalili. 
The Take production team is Marcos Bartolomé, Sonia Bhagat, Sarí el-Khalili, Tamara Khandaker, Phillip Lanos, Chloe K. Li, Ashish Malhotra, Khaled Soltan, and Amy Walters. Our editorial interns are Duha Mosaad, Hagir Saleh, and Cole van Miltenburg. Our host is Malika Bilal. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Aya Elmileik is lead of audience engagement.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is the Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. We’ll be back tomorrow.
Connect with us:
@AJEPodcasts on <a href="https://twitter.com/AJEPodcasts">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajepodcasts/">Instagram, </a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AJEPodcasts">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.threads.net/@ajepodcasts">Threads</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzGHKb8i9vTwjZkiFu6LhzsLUKFkYO60I">YouTube</a>

After al-Assad falls, what’s ahead for Syria?

We are coming to you on Sundays with weekly roundups as Israel's war in Gaza and Lebanon continues. Syrian opposition fighters have declared victory over the government of Bashar Assad. Israel continues to attack medical infrastructure in Gaza. It is day 429 of the war in Gaza, where more than 44,580 Palestinians have been killed.

In this episode:
Zeina Khodr, (@ZeinakhodrAljaz) Al Jazeera Correspondent

This episode was produced and mixed by David Enders. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

At Al Jazeera Podcasts, we want to hear from you, our listeners. So, please head to https://www.aljazeera.com/survey and tell us your thoughts about this show and other Al Jazeera podcasts. It only takes a few minutes!

We are coming to you on Sundays with weekly roundups as Israel's war in Gaza and Lebanon continues. Syrian opposition fighters have declared victory over the government of Bashar Assad. Israel continues to attack medical infrastructure in Gaza. It is day 429 of the war in Gaza, where more than 44,580 Palestinians have been killed.
In this episode:
<ul>
<li>Zeina Khodr, (<a href="https://twitter.com/ZeinakhodrAljaz">@ZeinakhodrAljaz</a>) Al Jazeera Correspondent</li>
</ul>
This episode was produced and mixed by David Enders. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.
At Al Jazeera Podcasts, we want to hear from you, our listeners. So, please head to https://www.aljazeera.com/survey and tell us your thoughts about this show and other Al Jazeera podcasts. It only takes a few minutes!

Sednaya prison falls, revealing the Assads’ legacy of torture

In 1 playlist(s)

The Take

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips