Syria: Report Cites Surge of Detention Deaths, Senior Hama Official Resigns

The latest Amnesty International report on Syria cites a surge in deaths of Syrians held in detention camps since the start of the Syrian revolution five months ago. According to the report, Syria has averaged five detention deaths per year, but has seen the deaths of at least 88 people over the past five months.  Of the 88 who died, ten were children, some as young as 13. There is also evidence many had been subjected to torture such as “beatings, burns and blunt-force traumas, whipping marks, electrocution, slashes and mutilated genitals.”  While Amnesty International has the names of at least 3,00o individuals who have been detained, it is likely that as high as 15,000 people are currently in detention.  U.S. State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland denounced the Syrian government over “the regime’s abhorrent abuse of prisoners” in response to the release of the report.  In protest over the Syrian government’s repressive tactics, Hama province’s Attorney General Adnan al-Bakkour resigned, citing the killing of 72 protesters at Hama central prison.