Aleppo’s Kweik river, keeps washing up the bodies of men and boys who have been shot in the head at close range. Some have their hands tied behind their backs, some have marks suggesting torture.

By Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International’s Senior Crisis Adviser

In a field hospital, which I won’t name for security reasons – too many field hospitals have been bombed already – a little boy of 7, Abdo al-Dik, was shaking like a leaf and moaning in pain with deep lacerations to his abdomen and legs.

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian activist Yashar hopes the security agents who tormented him during five months of detention will one day be put on trial. In detention, he says, he was locked naked in a tiny box for a week, beaten daily during marathon interrogations and blindfolded for 45 days.

Millions of people are being denied humanitarian assistance in northern Syria because the regime of Bashar Al-Assad will not allow cross-border operations.

Joint Rapid Assessment in Northern Syria (J-RANS) January 2013

Click here to Read the Executive Summary

By Cilina Nasser, Amnesty International’s Syria researcher

When Siham Abou Sitte fell in love with Ghassan al-Shihabi, she was drawn by his determination to keep the memory of old Palestine alive, his passion for reading and writing and his commitment to his work.

BY DAVID KAYE | JANUARY 10, 2013

In Syria, the new year begins without change. President Bashar al-Assad continues to attack Syrian citizens on a vast scale, targeting civilians and rebels indiscriminately, and making use of summary executions and torture.

The tumultuous events of the Arab Spring have been driven by a desire for justice among long-oppressed populations. As new governments come to power across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), an unprecedented opportunity has emerged to promote the rule of law and accountability.