Omar Alshogre, refugee, political activist and Georgetown University student, shares the wrenching story of his three years as a political prisoner in the worst of Syria's prisons. He discusses the role that extortion plays there, simultaneously delegitimizing the regime further and propping it up financially.

Episode resources:

• Mentioned at (00:33): The Syrian Emergency Task Force
• Mentioned at (00:45): Omar's testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 11 March 2020