According to The Syrian Network for Human Rights Documentation, the Syrian regime forces has detained at least 194 thousand Syrian citizens, including approx. 9 thousand under eighteen years old, 4500 of the detainees were women (including 1200 a female college students), and 35 male college students.
Since the beginning of the Syrian revolution until the end of year 2012, the Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the death of 1215 Syrian citizens among the total number of detainees; also there are at least 60 thousand enforced disappearances, among them were 34 children,17 women, and 23 elderly aged over 60 years.
The attached file below shows their distribution and documentation by name, place, time, photo, and video for many of them.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9Bj18tlYYKBeXhOanoxZlhCYlE/edit?pli=1
The distribution of victims who died after torture according to the Syrian provinces is as follows:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9Bj18tlYYKBazlMeE5UaWNnNHc/edit
Furthermore, 17 women were killed in the dungeons of prisons due to torture, which is very high figure with a clear indication of the cruel ways that were used against detainee women which seems to be systematic against them.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9Bj18tlYYKBZ2ZDYUxtVmF3bFk/edit
34 children
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9Bj18tlYYKBalhMY2J5aXJObW8/edit
Distribution of victims who died after torture by Month:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9Bj18tlYYKBa09oSWZERzdCdmc/edit
According to the testimony of their relatives and beloved ones, all those people were detained at Syrian governments’ bodies and they came out of detention dead, which make victims ‘ family and relatives wondering about what kind of crime their beloved committed to be punished by such a way of death, and who killed them without trial, disregarding the simplest legal and ethical rules, and who tortured them with brutal ways, which would be mentioned later in this report, which resemble the ways that were applied in the medieval ages, in a systematically continuous way.
In Syria, there are approx. 72 detention facilities, but the four main ones, which used brutal torture, are Air Force and General Intelligence, and Military and Political Security. The most important and obscure prison is the Saydnaya prison, followed by the big Mezzeh prison in the capital, Damascus, all these detention facilities use torture in a daily systematic deliberate way. The Syrian Network for Human Rights was unable to visit any prison because it ‘s a banned organization in Syria; in addition, neither legal nor human organization around the world could visit prisons Crypts, and could have the freedom of knowing how the prisoners were doing and how they were being treated without the company of the security services.
First: methods of torture:
The Syrian Network for Human Rights was able to count 45 torture methods, which we will handle in three sections:
– Torture positions (8 positions).
– Different types of torture (22 cases).
– Psychological torture (12 cases).
First: torture positions, we documented 8- torture methods, which are more commonly and systematically used:
1. Al-Shabeh: the detainee hand is tied behind his back, and his cuffed hand is tied to the bathroom ceiling, standing on a chair, and then pulling the chair from underneath, letting the detainee to stand on his big toe.
There is another case derived from Al-Shabeh which is Al-Shabeh Tayara, where one foot of the detainee and his hand is tied up with the same rope; the warden may insert the rope in the hand wrist leading to swelling the hands, and leave the prisoner on this position for several hours, sometimes for a day or two, leading to amputation of the detainees’ hand.
2. Dulab method (care tire): where the detainee hands and legs are tied such as a car tire, and then the beating process began all over his body.
3. Basat al-reeh or “flying carpet”: in which the detainee is placed and tied on to a wooden board made ??up of two parts and then moving the two parts towards each other, while the detainee is lying between them, causing a terrible pain in the spine, where there is another person is beating the detainee at the same time.
4. AL-Salb or “crucifixion”: the detainee hand and leg is tied quite similar to the idea of ??cross, then begin beating, especially on his genitals.
5. Al- talek or “Balanco”: hanging the victim while the wrists is tied behind the back and beat the detainee with sticks and wires.
6. Al-tahtem or “Smashing”: the victims’ head is placed between the prison wall and door, then closing the door over his head.
7. AL-corsi AL- cahrbay or “electric chair”: it’s a metal chair on which the detainee is mounted, and then electrical current is connected.
8. Al- corsi AL-almani or “the German chair”: it’s a chair made ??of metal, with the possibility of returning its back to the backside to squeeze the neck and spine of the detainee.
Second: a different range of torture methods; we documented 23 cases which are the most commonly used in detention centers:
1. Beating with objects all over body by using different tools such as cables, and sticks, which is colloquially called Quadripartite, in addition to the falaqa, which is to beat the victim on his soles of feet with sticks or cables, , and trampling over the head and so on.
2. Pulling out fingernails fully.
3. Plucking out hair from different parts of the body.
4. Grabbing the flesh by the metal tweezers and from private parts in the body.
5. Raping the detainee, male or female.
6. Forcing the detainee on raping his detention colleague.
7. Cutting certain organs from detainee’s body, such as finger or a piece of flesh, stabbing him in the back or stomach.
8. Use acid to burn skin, or putting of cigarettes over skin.
9. Exposing detainee to severe cold by depriving him from clothing or cover.
10. Depriving detainee from full medical care, adding to this, the lack of medical care in a large number of detention facilities.
11. Deprivation of using the toilet except one or two times a day, leading the detainee sometimes to pee on himself, and even times allowed to use the toilet, it is not exceeding a minute; also depriving him from shower, or going out to spaces for fresh air.
12. Overcrowding, by putting great number of detainees that outreaches the place capacity (a cell in the branch of Air Force Intelligence in Aleppo whose size was 15 meters with 45 detainees in it).
13. Pouring cold water on the detainee’s body after beating and injuring the body.
14. Breaking ribs.
15. Trifle amount of food and water, even not enough for quarter of the detainees.
16. Stand upright for continuum days day and night, suspended from the hands.
17. Detention in underground cells with no ventilation.
18. Detention of women and men in the same cells.
19. Pouring boiled oil on feet, or pouring boiled water until skin is raw.
20. Cutting ear of the detainee by prune trees scissors.
21. Pressing ear and nose with a wooden press fastener.
22. Suspension in the air then put a weight hanging from the penis.
23. Electric shock, especially in breasts, knees and elbows.
Third: psychological torture:
The network documented 14 cases which are the most commonly and systematically used:
1. Forcing the detainee to watch his colleague being raped.
2. Threatening detainee of being raped.
3. Forcing the detainee to watch his colleagues being torture or dying under torture.
4. Threatening detainee to arrest his wife, mother, or sister, and raping or torturing them in front of him, after letting him see naked girls inside the prison.
5. Threatening detainee by torturing him to death or slaying him with knives.
6. Attacking the detainee’s creed and insulting, badmouthing it.
7. Forcing the detainee on nudity in front of his colleagues.
8. Putting the detainee in a cell where someone is dying.
9. Putting the detainee in a cell with a corpse body.
10. Cursing the detainee with badmouthed words at him and his family as well.
11. Forcing the detainee to confess things he did not commit under the threat of double torture.
12. Ordering the detainee to prostrate to Bashar al-Assad photo.
13. Convincing the detainee that he will be released, and open the cell door then arrested him, and returned him to torture again.
Taking the detainee to the prison doctor for treatment, who later beats him on the part he is complaining of, and then re-tortured him again, hence no one is ever asked for the doctor treatment any more.
Condemnation:
The Syrian Network for Human Rights, as a National human rights organisation with an aim of defending human rights, is expressing concern about the volume and quality of torture by the Syrian authorities, whose style goes back to first primitive ages and medieval eras, affirming that these violent behaviors cannot be done by a person with humanitarian values. We harshly condemn and renounce these behaviors, in addition to all methods of torture practiced by the Syrian government, which is held responsible for all Syrian governments’ staff and institutions, in addition to those who alliance and cooperate with it, and funding and morally supporting the Syrian regime. They all hold the total responsibility of what has happened and is happening from bodily, physical, and moral damages. Taking into account that all cases (except a few) are not subjected by law detention, without a judicial, legal, and constitutional arrest warrants; therefore, we hold all the above mentioned parties responsibility for all consequences and potential reactions resulting from the detention and torture.
SNHR calls upon the international community and the U.N Security Council, to act with utmost urgency to live up for the human and humanity laws and constitutions, and not to be just a tool supporting dictatorships, but also defending and protecting it.
We also appeal all civil society organizations around the world to lobbying the UN Security Council and all member states to referr all those responsible for crimes in Syria to the International Criminal Court, and strain every nerve to prevent perpetrators from escaping from punishment of the mentioned crimes in this report, and all other crimes, as this escape would be catastrophic idea of ??human rights, plus the idea of observance of international law, not only in Syria but in the whole world, also the consequence of this escape will not be reflected only on Syrians, but it would leave effects in the region and the world with no doubt.
Syrian Network for Human Rights – London
Website: www.syrianhr.org
Email: press@syrianhr.org
Skype: Syrianhr