Support NeoGAF

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-re...-saydnaya-military-prison-shocking-new-report

A chilling new Amnesty International report published today has exposed the ”cold-blooded killing of thousands of defenceless prisoners" in a Syrian government jail where an estimated 13,000 people have been hanged in the past five years, and where mass hangings of up to 50 people at a time occur every week, sometimes twice a week.

The mass hangings have taken place at Saydnaya military prison near Damascus between 2011 and 2015 - and there are clear indications that the mass hangings are ongoing.

Most of those hanged were civilians believed to have been opposed to the government, with the killings taking place in great secrecy in the middle of the night. The executions take place after one- or two-minute lawyer-less ”trials" using ”confessions" extracted through torture.



Following a year of research involving first-hand interviews with 84 witnesses (including former detainees, guards and officials), Amnesty has been able to establish that the Sadnaya hangings follow a set procedure. Carried out in the middle of night and often twice a week, usually on Mondays and Wednesdays, those whose names are called out are told they're to be transferred to civilian prisons in Syria. Instead, they're moved to a cell in the basement of the prison and severely beaten over the course of two to three hours (the intensity of the beatings is such that one former detainee described people "screaming like they had lost their minds"). The prisoners are then transported to another prison building (the ”White Building") on the grounds of Saydnaya, where they're hanged in the basement. Throughout the process, they remain blindfolded. They are informed they have been sentenced to death only minutes before they're executed, and they do not know how they are about to die until a noose is placed around their necks.

A former judge who witnessed the hangings said: ”They kept them [hanging] there for ten to 15 minutes. Some didn't die because they are light. For the young ones, their weight wouldn't kill them. The officers' assistants would pull them down and break their necks".

Detainees held in the building on the floors above the ”execution room" have reported that they sometimes heard the sounds of the hangings. ”Hamid", a former military officer arrested in 2011, said: ”If you put your ears on the floor, you could hear the sound of a kind of gurgling. This would last around ten minutes ... We were sleeping on top of the sound of people choking to death. This was normal for me then."

After execution, the prisoners' bodies are taken away by the truckload to be secretly buried in mass graves. Their families are given no information about their fate.

Last August, another Amnesty report on Sadnaya estimated that more than 17,000 people have died in prisons across Syria as a result of inhuman conditions and torture since 2011. However, that figure does not include the estimated 13,000 additional deaths as a result of the extrajudicial executions exposed in this report.

This is the lead story for the New York Times tomorrow. 30k prisoners who were tortured repeatedly until they died from the torture or were executed.

 

[Wilsongt]

Jesus Christ...

Also, it's hanged.

 

[Hickbilly Deluxe]

And just think, Assad is the best of the bunch. We never should have gotten involved.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Jesus Christ...

Also, it's hanged.

Fuck me, sorry about that.

 

[Obliterator]

Fucking horrid shit

 

[theignoramus]

Disgusting and unsurprising. We knew the regime had the capacity for this right from the get-go. I bet we wont hear a word about this report from Congesswoman Gabbard, Assad's new publicist.

 

[tuxfool]

And just think, Assad is the best of the bunch. We never should have gotten involved.

At some point I don't think we can say "best", when the person is systematically torturing and executing thousands of people.

 

[Horns]

The guy is a war criminal.

 

[gooderthanu]

And he will be getting away scott free

 

[sunshine and gasoline]

Downright henious.

 

[WedgeX]

Good Lord.

 

[theignoramus]

The detention facility enacted an "extermination program." 13,000 hung is only the half of it, 17,000 have died from torture or "ill treatment."
Assad is our generation's Pol Pot.
Here's the Amnesty Report:
https://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/human_slaughterhouse.pdf

 

[newdayrocks]

Fucking despicable.





It's "hanged", OP.

 

[tornjaw]

Jesus Christ...

Also, it's hanged.

Not just that, but the word "defenceless" is in the very first sentence.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Not just that, but the word "defenceless" is in the very first sentence.

This report is from a group in the UK >_>

 

[tornjaw]

This report is from a group in the UK >_>

Oh well.

Nothing noting who wrote the article and when I see 'New York Times' I assume it to be an American journalist or at least written in American English.

Edit: Before I derail this any further. As a Service Member, these are the exact types of injustices that make me want to deploy again

Spoiler

for the 5th time

and defend against that monster.

 

[theignoramus]

Im about halfway through the report and it's perhaps the saddest, most gruesome human rights report I've ever read. The Assad regime is a sick, sick, sick, demonic entity.
There is no way an opposition force would NOT become radicalised when confronted with this type of savagery and Amnesty is clear, it's the Assad regime carrying out the lion's share of barbaric acts.

The listed detainees are put into the “train” position – the usual mode in which detainees are transferred between locations at Saydnaya – in the hallway outside of their cells. In the “train”, the detainees form a line, and each takes hold of the T-shirt or waist of the detainee in front of him and ducks his head down to waist level. The detainees are then taken to the “collection room”, a 3.5m by 5m room located in the B wing of the
red building, underground, on the same floor as the solitary cells. There, detainees are often subjected to severe beating, which usually takes place between 10pm and 12am. Between 12am and 3am, the detainees are handcuffed, blindfolded with their hands behind their backs, and led into vehicles just outside of the red building. Five or six guards from the red building oversee this process.6

We go to collect the prisoners, and the officer’s assistant comes with us. He has a list with all the names of the people. Then we open the door of the group room. Automatically the detainees are kneeling, facing the wall and covering their eyes. We call a detainee’s name, and he pulls his Tshirt over his face. We go inside and bring him out. We put them in a row and they move in the “train” position… We collect them this way, and we take them to the room downstairs. It’s a room
just for collecting people. It’s forbidden for them to sit down – they stay standing. And we start shouting at them. We say whatever we want. We start beating them. Whoever comes can beat them, until the officer arrives. We already know they will die anyway, so we do whatever we want with them.

When a detainee is brought into the “execution room”, at this point he is still unaware of what is about to happen. However, on entering the room, detainees are ordered to form a queue up to the small desk in the corner of the room on the left. Here, an instruction is given that each detainee must express his last wishes and place a fingerprint on a statement documenting his death. That instruction is the first moment that the detainees know they will be put to death. Even so, they are still unaware of how this will be carried out. At no point is this explained to the detainees. For this entire period, they remain blindfolded.
According to a former prison official, “Some of them were silent after they put their fingerprint on the paper, and some of them just fainted right there. But they didn’t know when it would happen or how it was going to happen – by hanging, shooting or some other way.” He added that the signing of the document was perfunctory. “They would first take the last wishes, but this was just nonsense,” he explained. “It didn’t really lead to anything or mean anything. [The form] includes the name, mother’s name, where they are from, their ID number, and their last wish.”83
After this, the detainees are led on to the platforms, still blindfolded. This process of the hanging was described by the former prison official: “They would line them up and get them ready for the execution. They would wait until all of the spaces were full before they put the nooses on. Then they would put the nooses on and push them or drop them immediately, so they didn’t know what was happening until the very last
moment.”84
After the victims are dropped or pushed, they usually hang for around 15 minutes. At this point, the doctor in the room indicates which detainees have not yet died. These victims are pulled downward by the officers’ assistants, which causes the victims’ necks to break. A former judge from the Military Court recalled this stage of the execution: “They kept them there for 10 to 15 minutes. Some didn’t die because they are light.
For the young ones, their weight wouldn’t kill them. The officers’ assistants would pull them down and break their necks. Two officers’ assistants were in charge of this.”8

 

[metalslimer]

While people can say Syria can't be stable without Assad, there is no way this Civil War will end with Assad still thetre

But I hope Tulsi Gabbard can sleep well tonight!

 

[Stinkles]

this is the guy trump wants to come to terms with because daddy putin likes him.

 

[MarionCB]

How do we stop this? Is there a path to not having this kind of regime in Syria? People who commit these atrocities cannot remain in power for any reason. We are failing as a species while these acts are allowed to occur. I'm so angry. All I can think is to support Amnesty International and agitate for my country to accept more refugees.

 

[Kas]

I have nothing to say, aside from this makes my stomach turn and my blood boil.


What do we do about this? What does anyone do about this? We cant just storm on in, but we know what is going on is beyond horrific.

Is the only action just innaction?

 

[neorej]

Im about halfway through the report and it's perhaps the saddest, most gruesome human rights report I've ever read. The Assad regime is a sick, sick, sick, demonic entity.
There is no way an opposition force would NOT become radicalised when confronted with this type of savagery and Amnesty is clear, it's the Assad regime carrying out the lion's share of barbaric acts.

This is medieval in all it's gruesome form. Fuck Assad and his minions. I hope they are brought to justice.

 

[jellies_two]

I see the Syrian executioners had to tug on prisoners to complete the hanging.

this is what the Germans had to do too, in ww2, and then that was too slow so they switched to firing squads, then machine guns and trenches, and finally gas.

 

[Monocle]

Fucking sick.

How do we stop this? Is there a path to not having this kind of regime in Syria? People who commit these atrocities cannot remain in power for any reason. We are failing as a species while these acts are allowed to occur. I'm so angry. All I can think is to support Amnesty International and agitate for my country to accept more refugees.

I don't even know, but something has to be done. That regime is an abomination.

 

[timetokill]

I have nothing to say, aside from this makes my stomach turn and my blood boil.


What do we do about this? What does anyone do about this? We cant just storm on in, but we know what is going on is beyond horrific.

Is the only action just innaction?

It's either kill a huge amount of people now for a chance at something better, or let relatively fewer people die and hope it gets better for no real reason.

Politically the second is much easier.

 

[RoadHazard]

Utterly disgusting. Remove this man and his regime from the planet, please. Him and IS can both go burn in hell forever.

 

[Bedameister]

We knew this.
We didn't care though.
Disgraceful.

 

[Lovely Salsa]

What happened to the Putin killed Assad rumor? Was that false?

 

[Palette Swap]

Good guy Assad.

How do we stop this? Is there a path to not having this kind of regime in Syria? People who commit these atrocities cannot remain in power for any reason. We are failing as a species while these acts are allowed to occur. I'm so angry. All I can think is to support Amnesty International and agitate for my country to accept more refugees.

AFAIK, the general consensus on a roadmap is essentially :
1. end the civil war by having all of Syria under Assad's control again.
2. have a peaceful transition towards democratic elections.

Except obviously, people don't agree on how to do conduct step 1 and how feasible it really is. Nevermind that even if you somehow clear that hurdle, there's no guarantee Assad will step down and you don't know what result elections would bring in a country that has suffered such an ugly civil war.

 

[Any Questions]

Terrible news, but am not surprised. It's sad that we live in an age where this still happens.

My thoughts and prayers to those affected

 

[dead monkey uk]

The guy is a war criminal.

There are a lot of killers, We've got a lot of killers. What, you think our country's so innocent?

 

[Monocle]

There are a lot of killers, We've got a lot of killers. What, you think our country's so innocent?

Yes, we're all exactly the same! No differences in the scale or severity of the human rights violations at all.

 

[Nerazar]

Yes, we're all exactly the same! No differences in the scale or severity of the human rights violations at all.

Trump knows more than we do. We will get there.

 

[GrizzleBoy]

Trump; Well at last he's a leader, unlike what we have here in America. I will join him and Putin to destroy ISIS etc etc etc.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

I woke up to report about this on radio today.

With detailed descriptions of how prisoners have been tortured, forced to torture each other. All horrible stuff :/

 

[Nabbis]

Even with this, you take out Assad and then what? This is some horrible shit but either way people will die, perhaps even far more in the long run. IMO pressuring Assad's government to stop this would be a good option but then there's Russia throwing tantrums.

 

[Sec0nd]

I can even fathom the logistics of hanging 13.000 people. It's just insane.

 

[Chairman Yang]

Sickening. I thought Assad was a necessary monster, but now I don't know. I guess Russia is the only party that can realistically do anything to remove Assad now. But who's going to pressure them?

 

[I-hate-u]

Im about halfway through the report and it's perhaps the saddest, most gruesome human rights report I've ever read. The Assad regime is a sick, sick, sick, demonic entity.
There is no way an opposition force would NOT become radicalised when confronted with this type of savagery and Amnesty is clear, it's the Assad regime carrying out the lion's share of barbaric acts.

Despicable. How can anyone shed all their humanity to do such acts, and go back to their families or normal life? How do they sleep at night?

May God bless all the souls that passed away and may those degenerates burn in hell forever.

 

[Toxi]

While people can say Syria can't be stable without Assad, there is no way this Civil War will end with Assad still thetre

The Syrian Civil War started with Assad there. Something many people seem to forget.

 

[Raven117]

This was part of the calculus Obama had to make when he decided not to remove Assad. He was dammed if he did (U.S. intervention in yet another war in the middle east) or dammed if he didn't (likely Assad would do horrible things). He made a call. Don't know if it was the right one or not, but thats the call he made.

I truly believe this is when Obama went grey.

 

[Phantast2k]

Just so that people realize: This is one prison. One.

A personal account of the conditions in Syrian prisons from a ex inmate, Syrian opposition activist:
https://twitter.com/putintintin1/status/829041953790709760
(he's also followed by a ton of journalists)

 

[timetokill]

Absolutely harrowing reading that, Phantast2k. Thanks for posting.

 

[Miletius]

This was part of the calculus Obama had to make when he decided not to remove Assad. He was dammed if he did (U.S. intervention in yet another war in the middle east) or dammed if he didn't (likely Assad would do horrible things). He made a call. Don't know if it was the right one or not, but thats the call he made.

I truly believe this is when Obama went grey.

I would too. Fuck this world. It's days like this when I stop believing that the world is overall a good place.

I am not a Syrian, but I will never accept a government where any member of the Assad regime remains in power. Even head janitor is too good for any one of them.

 

[akira28]

The guy is a war criminal.

one that has learned from the mistakes of previous war criminals. Everything is done in hiding, with a cover of judicial and legal justification.

This was part of the calculus Obama had to make when he decided not to remove Assad. He was dammed if he did (U.S. intervention in yet another war in the middle east) or dammed if he didn't (likely Assad would do horrible things). He made a call. Don't know if it was the right one or not, but thats the call he made.

I truly believe this is when Obama went grey.

I remember so many on the left saying to stay out of it. I was like....what the? So I know a centrist like Obama was even more conflicted.

 

[Victarion]

I'm ashamed to be from a country whose government supports Assad. Blood of these people are on our hands. fuck everyone involved in this

 

[theignoramus]

The Assad government deserves missiles and bombs on every government building in Damascus, but obviously with the Russians there, we cant risk starting WWIII.

But I wouldnt be opposed to a third party entity knocking off some people close to Assad, one by one. We cant allow people running "extermination programs" in 2017 to sleep soundly at night, just because invasion and air strikes are off the table, it doesnt mean these people cant be touched.

 

[OG Shaka Zulu]

This is monstrous. How could a whole group of people agree to such depraved cruelty?