Middle East

Reports of Syria killings suggest systematic violations, says US

Syrian photographer supplies ‘clear evidence’ of torture and killing of 11,000 detainees

Smoke rises from a bus station hit by what activists said was an airstrike by forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, as garbage fills the street in Jisr al-Hajj in Aleppo today. Photograph: Ammar Abdullah/Reuters
Smoke rises from a bus station hit by what activists said was an airstrike by forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, as garbage fills the street in Jisr al-Hajj in Aleppo today. Photograph: Ammar Abdullah/Reuters
Tue Jan 21 2014 - 21:39

A report on the torture and killing of thousands of detainees in Syria are horrific and suggest systematic violations by the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the US State Department said today.

"These reports suggest widespread and apparently systematic violations by the regime," said State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf. "These most recent images ... are extremely disturbing. They're horrible to look at."

A Syrian military police photographer has supplied “clear evidence” showing the systematic torture and killing of about 11,000 detainees in circumstances that evoked Nazi death camps, former war crimes prosecutors said.

Ms Harf said the report on the killings underscores the importance of making progress on an agreement that will get a political transition in place and bring an end to the bloodshed.

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Reuters