UNITED KINGDOM/JORDAN: A new report by Amnesty International finds that the scale of torture in Syria has risen to a level not seen since the era of the 1970's and '80's under President Bashar al-Assad's father

Record ID: 276339

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM/JORDAN: A new report by Amnesty International finds that the scale of torture in Syria has risen to a level not seen since the era of the 1970's and '80's under President Bashar al-Assad's father
  • Date: 15th March 2012
  • Summary: AMMAN, JORDAN (RECENT - MARCH 9, 2012) (REUTERS) LAWYER THAMER EBRAHIM, TORTURE VICTIM WHO APPEARS IN AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LAWYER THAMER EBRAHIM SAYING: "I was blindfolded and had my hands tied with plastic handcuffs that caused much pain. They threw me like a lump of meat in the car and during transfer to the detention centre I was
  • Embargoed: 30th March 2012 13:00
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  • Location: United Kingdom, Jordan
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  • Country: United Kingdom Jordan
  • Topics: Crime,Conflict,International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAEXGKWUN177GC4T6K65C8JQPT8
  • Story Text: People caught up in the massive wave of arrests in the wake of the Syrian uprising have been thrust into a "nightmarish world of systemic torture", a new report released on Wednesday (March 14) by Amnesty International says.
    "The scale of the abuse and the horror of some of the methods of torture is a return to the horrible days of the 1980's, when in fact it was Bashar al-Assad's father who was in power," said Neil Sammonds, lead author of the report entitled,"'I wanted to die' - Syria's torture survivors speak out".
    The report documents 31 methods of torture or other ill-treatment by security forces, army and pro-government gangs.
    In the last 12 months there have been more than 270 cases of detainees dying in custody. That's compared with between 4 and 5 annually in the previous ten years.
    Sammonds said the disturbing trend is being directed from the very top and perpetrators can act with impunity.
    "The fact that it happened across the country and across the security agencies and the armed forces leads one to the assumption that the regime is directing and knows what's going on and is encouraging its guards and security officers to do this," he said.
    Researchers interviewed victims who fled Syria to Jordan.
    One of them is Thamer Ebrahim, a lawyer who was detained in Deraa at the start of the uprising last March.
    "I was blindfolded and had my hands tied with plastic handcuffs that caused much pain. They threw me like a lump of meat in the car and during transfer to the detention centre I was beaten on my back with guns," Ebrahim said.
    "During the interrogation, if I did not answer their questions, I would be beaten and insulted. The first time I was arrested and detained for four days. I was beaten by punches and sticks and with the butt of guns. There was also the psychological torture and insults," he added.
    Several survivors told of their experience of the "dulab" or tyre, where the victim is forced into a vehicle tyre - often hoisted up - and beaten, including sometimes with cables or sticks. Amnesty International said it had observed an increase in the reported use of "shabeh" - where the victim is suspended, from a raised hook, handle or door frame, or by manacled wrists, so that the feet hang just above the ground or so the tips of toes touch the floor. The individual is then often beaten.
    Other victims were raped or forced to watch rapes. Electric shock torture is also widely used, Amnesty said.
    Another victim of Syrian violence is an activist who has been dubbed "The Living Martyr". He does not feature in the Amnesty report, but described to Reuters how he was shot repeatedly by government forces for taking part in a demonstration in Deraa in April last year. He escaped Syria to Jordan, where he now lives illegally.
    "They saw me and my friend and started shooting. I was hit by 16 bullets and the man with me was hit by 7 bullets. When they saw the light coming from my mobile and they suspected I was alive, they shot at me three more times. For what? Because I phoned for medical help," he said.
    Amnesty says its report provides yet more evidence of crimes against humanity in Syria.
    The organisation has repeatedly called for the situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court, but political factors have prevented this with Russia and China vetoing U.N. Security Council resolutions that made reference to the world court.
    Sammond said that after interviewing scores of victims and activists from Syria, the regime's violent crackdown and torture-filled detention centres only serve to make them more committed to the uprising.
    "Most have said, you know, 'We've shaken off the fear and the more we are abused the more we want to continue to make sure that the regime does change'," he said.
    While the vast majority of alleged violations had been committed by security forces, Amnesty said there had been some reports of abuses committed by members of armed opposition groups.
    Independent U.N. investigators led by Paulo Pinheiro said last month that Syrian forces committed crimes against humanity including murder and torture on orders from the "highest level" of Assad's government.
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