Amnesty International: Over 17,700 Deaths in Assad's Government Prisons

Amnesty International has published a report detailing "widespread torture," "rape," and "deaths" of many individuals detained and imprisoned by Bashar al-Assad's government since the onset of the Syrian civil war. According to the report dated August 19, more than 300 people have died each month in prisons since the war began in 2011, bringing the total number of victims to over 17,700. The reports primarily focus on the conditions in intelligence agency detention centers and the Saydnaya prison near Damascus. The organization has interviewed 65 individuals who were detained during this period, most of whom are civilians, and many have witnessed at least one death inside the prisons. The documentation reveals that prisoners are often subjected to beatings with tools like hoses upon arrival in what prison guards call a "welcome party." One detainee reported that guards insist on knowing if anyone is sick, and if so, they lead them to death "to get rid of them as soon as possible." Another interviewee, identified as Saeed, recounted his experience of "rape": "I was hung up, electric shocks were connected to my genitals, and then it was inserted into my anus and turned on. This was the first time I was raped." Saeed added, "After all this, they asked me to open my eyes, and at that moment, I saw that my father had been brought in to witness all of this." Some detainees interviewed by Amnesty International stated that the aim of all this is to break the prisoners. According to the report, access to water, food, and sanitation facilities is severely controlled and limited. Philip Luther, the director of the Middle East and North Africa section of the organization, stated on the organization's website that Syrian security forces have used torture and violent behavior for decades to crush their opponents; "today this has become a targeted method against any civilian suspected of opposing the government." The organization has called on global powers, especially Russia and the United States, to pressure Syrian government officials and armed groups to end torture and mistreatment of prisoners and detainees. According to this non-governmental organization, the events occurring in Syrian detention centers constitute "crimes against humanity." Considering previous reports about Syrian state prisons, the number of victims has significantly increased since 2014, although some estimates suggest the death toll is much higher than this. This is not the first time allegations of torture and killings of prisoners in Syria have been published; previously, a team of international forensic and criminal experts stated they have "first-hand evidence" indicating "targeted killings and torture" in the state prisons of the Syrian regime. The Syrian government has yet to respond to Amnesty International's latest report. However, the country's information minister previously stated regarding earlier allegations that the detainees are "a number of Saudi terrorists" and that "the issue of their torture is not true." According to this minister, Syrian officials do not torture individuals when they arrest them. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have also published similar reports regarding "torture, summary executions, and crimes" by rebel groups in areas under their control.