'I’m still scared this might not be real': Man who spent 32 years in Syrian prisons is freed

Suheil Hamwi was one of hundreds of Lebanese citizens detained during Syria’s occupation of Lebanon from 1976 to 2005 and believed to be held in Syrian prisons for decades

Suheil Hamwi spent 32 years in prison in Syria (AP)

A man who spent 32 years in a Syrian prison has finally returned to his home in Lebanon after an offensive by insurgents toppled the government of Bashar Assad.

In 1992, Suheil Hamwi worked as a merchant, selling various goods in the town of Chekka in northern Lebanon. On the night of Eid il-Burbara, or Saint Barbara’s Day – a holiday similar to Halloween – a man came to his door to buy some whiskey.