Syria: Killings, Torture in a Locked-Down City Under Siege

Dispatches from Daraa
by Nadim Houry, senior Syria researcher at Human Rights Watch
Syrian authorities have tried to keep the world from getting images or information from the Southern city of Daraa, the scene of a massive government crackdown against protesters. But Syrians have documented abuses with cellphones and cameras and made footage available to Human Rights Watch. This video, narrated by HRW's Nadim Houry, gives a glimpse of what the people of Daraa have endured since protests began there in March.

Systematic killings and torture by Syrian security forces in the city of Daraa since protests began there on March 18, 2011, strongly suggest that these qualify as crimes against humanity.

The 57-page report, "'We've Never Seen Such Horror': Crimes against Humanity in Daraa," is based on more than 50 interviews with victims and witnesses to abuses. The report focuses on violations in Daraa governorate, where some of the worst violence took place after protests seeking greater freedoms began in various parts of the country. The specifics went largely unreported due to the information blockade imposed by the Syrian authorities. Victims and witnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch described systematic killings, beatings, torture using electroshock devices, and detention of people seeking medical care.

Follow Nadim Houry on Twitter @nadimhoury