Bashar al-Assad’s regime is accused of widespread torture in an attempt to quell protests that lasted for over a month. Nearly 200 people died and hundreds are missing after dozens of demonstrations harshly repressed.
A recording posted on YouTube shows Syrian activists beaten, with marks on the back; some protesters said they had recently been released from custody. An elder can be seen bandaged with the face full of bruises. He said that, along with a group of people, was dragged and beaten by security forces.
The practice of torturing arrested protesters is apparently widely used these days in Syria, according to a report released by Human Rights Watch.
Many detainees claim they were subjected to electric shocks, beaten with whips and cables, and that among those arrested, there were children. Some say they were forced to sign false statements.
The report was signed by many intellectuals, writers, journalists and Arab activists who condemned the “brutal attack” of Syrian authorities. Amnesty International warns of human rights violations in Syria has reached a crisis level that is increasing every day and even each hour.
“Paranoid atmosphere” in Damascus
Reporters of the press agencies have been expelled, bloggers arrested. Bits of information are flowing through phone calls secretly, through Facebook and Twitter, revealing a partial picture of a regime that attempts to suppress dissent with ever greater desperation.
According to Amnesty International, about 200 people have died and hundreds are missing after the government repressed demonstrations which took place on Syrian territory in recent weeks.
“The whole nation is appalled,” wrote a reporter for the British newspaper The Daily Mail, who managed to enter Syria, where he spent five days last week.
“On the surface, everything seems normal. There are tourists on the streets of old Damascus, and people out shopping. However, there are more new banners in the city with the face of President Assad. Many cars and shops display also the face the leader, and an air of paranoia is surrounding the city”.
“Some people were too scared to talk about politics, but others could not help it”, he says. People is whispering and fear that their phones are being tapped by the security forces.
Activists communicate online only from internet cafes and never remain connected for more than ten minutes to avoid detection.
At the beginning of the Arab revolt, analysts and diplomats considered the Syrian regime one of the most stable in the region, but the situation seems to have changed. “Ordinary Syrians have begun to wonder whether the regime will survive, and diplomats are anxious”, wrote the Daily Mail.