Surviving torture in a Syrian prison made me who I am today
My journey from Syria’s notorious Branch 215 prison to the US’s Georgetown University.
![A photo of the writer following his recovery in Sweden and one immediately after his release from prison in Syria [Photo courtesy of Omar Alshogre]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/e3840506-f620-41df-b75b-58229a95fa83.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
![Omar as a 15-year-old in 2011 before he was imprisoned, and later, in 2015 immediately after he escaped [Photo courtesy of Omar Alshogre]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Omar-before-detention-1.jpg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
For three years, Omar Alshogre was imprisoned and tortured, while his father, brothers and cousins were killed.
My journey from Syria’s notorious Branch 215 prison to the US’s Georgetown University.