Fears for Syrian child protesters amid fresh reports of
deaths

10 June 2011

Amnesty International urged the Syrian authorities to
protect child protesters amid fresh reports of young people being tortured and
killed.

Video evidence has emerged in recent days of two new cases
of teenagers – Thamer al-Sahri and Nazir ‘Abd al-Kader – dying after receiving
injuries caused by beatings and gunshot wounds.

“Reports that the Syrian security forces have tortured and
killed children in their custody would, if confirmed, mark a new low in their
bloody repression of protests,” said Philip Luther, Deputy Director of Amnesty
International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

“The violent deaths suffered by Thamer al-Sahri and other
children are utterly shocking, as is the Syrian authorities’ apparent lack of
action to rein in the security forces accused of being responsible for
them.” 

International media released an amateur video on Thursday
purportedly showing the body of 15-year-old Thamer al-Sahri, which was returned
to his family in the Syrian village of Jeeza the day before.

He disappeared on 29 April following attempts by villagers
to reach the besieged southern city of Dera’a. Some 500 people were reportedly
arrested in the area that day.

The video apparently shows his body punctured by bullet
wounds and missing one eye and several teeth. His neck and one leg were also
reportedly broken.

Thamer al-Sahri is the fourth child reported to have died in
custody since March. Syrian human rights activists have reported the deaths
under torture of Diyaa Yahya Khatib, 16, from Homs and Saleh Ahmed al-Khateb,
14, from Dera’a during their detention in March and April, respectively. 

Protesters in Syria were galvanized by news of the death
late last month of 13-year0-old Hamza al-Khateeb. He went missing amid mass
arrests near Dera’a on 29 April, and was later reported as being held by Air
Force Security. 

Syrian authorities denied that Hamza al-Khateeb had been
tortured or that his body had been mutilated, saying that he died after being
shot by an armed group and that the body had decomposed during the period
before it was returned to his family.

A forensic specialist consulted by Amnesty International
analysed a video of his body and concluded that the injuries visible indicated
that the boy had suffered repeated violence with a blunt instrument while still
alive. He also identified evidence of two gunshot wounds, one to the chest,
apparently fired at close range, and one to the arm, with lesions suggesting
the boy was alive at this point, too.

Yesterday Amnesty International received a video clip
showing the body of yet another individual – said to be Nazir ‘Abd al-Kader,
probably aged 18 or 19, given reports that he finished his schooling in 2010 –
showing evidence of brutal treatment.

According to a doctor who examined the body, Nazir’s
kneecaps had been smashed, his skull damaged and his neck broken before he was
shot. He is believed to have been in the custody of security forces at the time
of his death.

Some 32 children, aged between 12 and 17, remain in
detention in apparent connection with protests and could be at risk of torture
or other ill-treatment. Of these, at least nine are from the southern city of
Dera’a.

Demonstrations demanding reform began in February, and from
mid-March the Syrian security forces have waged a campaign of violence against
the protesters. Amnesty International believes that at least 1,104 people have
been killed, including 82 children.

Thousands have been arrested, with many being held
incommunicado and reportedly tortured. Amnesty International has documented
widespread allegations of torture and other ill-treatment in Syria’s detention
centres for decades.

The United Nations Security Council is discussing a draft
resolution on the violence in Syria.

“The UN Security Council must act decisively in response to
the months of bloodshed in Syria and we believe this should include referring
the situation to the International Criminal Court,” said Philip Luther. 

“In the absence of serious steps by the Syrian authorities
to investigate the current violations, it is time for the international
community to ensure that officials responsible for the murder of protesters or
the torture of detainees, including children, are brought to justice.”