By Baris Saglam, Muhammed Bilal Kenasari, Turgut Alp Boyraz
ANKARA
The systematic torture and execution of detainees by the Syrian regime is likely to constitute crimes against humanity, causing concern from the international community before the Geneva II talks on Wednesday, experts told AA.
Lama Fakih, Syria and Lebanon researcher at the Human Rights Watch said, "Crimes against humanity and war crimes could be the subject of the prosecution before the 'International Criminal Court (ICC)'. We have continued to call on the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the ICC, so that ICC prosecutors can investigate the very serious allegations."
David Butter of Chatham House, a London-based think-tank organization, told AA, “The photos provide fresh and compelling evidence of the brutality of the Assad regime. But this doesn't materially affect the overall situation which is marginally in favor of the regime owing to the stronger commitment to its survival on the part of its allies--Russia and Iran--as compared with the disengaged stance of the countries that are sympathetic to the opposition.”
55,000 photographs exhibiting 11,000 tortured detainees in a detailed 31-page report were provided by a former Syrian army police officer, known as codename “Caesar”.
Photographs published on Monday included images of dead prisoners, who appear starved, brutally beaten, and strangled, since the civil war began in 2011.
"Caesar", who served 13 years in the Syrian army, gave the photos of the tortured and executed detainees to an inquiry team based in the UK.
The inquiry team commissioned by Qatar, consisted of three former war crime prosecutors, who specialize in forensics.
The photos provoked a strong reaction from political figures and international bodies from around the world.
Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday that the world could not be silent anymore on the worst massacre of the century in Syria. "Both humanity and Syria should be rescued from this bloody regime."
Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary, William Hague described the photos as "shocking" on his official Twitter account on Tuesday.
The UN Security Council failed to respond to Monday's report, while Russia and China blocked attempts to address the issue.
Executive Director of the Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth told AA that "it may not be able to stop the fighting quickly, but much more can be done to stop these horrendous attacks on non-combatants, including civilians in opposition areas and detainees in custody".
According to official data, around 1,500 civilians were killed and thousands of others wounded in the chemical weapons attack in Syria - a red line defined by White House - in August 2013. The Russian brokered a "political solution" to the use of chemical weapons with the US, which oversaw the destruction of chemical weapons within the Syrian regime by the UN.
More than 100,000 people have been killed in the three-year conflict in Syria, and more than eight million Syrians have become refugees in the neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, according to the UN.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
