AVAAZ petition: refer Syria to ICC

Avaaz reveals scale and horror of Assad’s torture chambers
**New report details locations and conditions of Syria’s detention facilities**

The global campaigning organisation Avaaz today publishes a report into the horror and scale of the Syrian regime’s detention facilities, as the Arab League observers continue their mission inside the country.

Bashar al-Assad’s security forces are detaining and in most cases torturing Syrian citizens opposed to the regime in overcrowded prisons, jails and illegal detention centers across the country. Avaaz has compiled the locations of these dungeons — which even include schools — and the names of regime loyalists running the facilities and the torturers-in-chief setting detention policy at the highest levels.

Human rights activists working with Avaaz across Syria have catalogued first-hand accounts of horrific torments and conditions suffered by peaceful protesters and ordinary Syrians caught up in the brutal crackdown, rotting inside the Assad regime’s notorious jails and prisons.

More than 617 people have been confirmed killed under torture by regime forces since the crackdown started on March 15 of last year. Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on Syria’s popular uprising has claimed at least 6,874 victims and seen a further 69,000 people detained over the course of the last nine months.

Stephanie Brancaforte, Campaign Director at Avaaz, said: “Assad’s henchmen have tried to break the pro-democracy movement in these torture chambers, but brave Syrians are still standing up for their rights — and demanding that the Arab League not betray their overwhelmingly peaceful struggle. A credible Arab League mission would visit these torture chambers and ensure the regime immediately end these atrocities. Enough is enough – it’s time for the UN to sanction Bashar al-Assad and his band of torturers and refer them to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.”

In August in Hama, Avaaz activist “Manhal” was arrested by security forces after being found in possession of a Thuraya satellite phone and several videos of demonstrations. He was taken to the Military Intelligence Branch – Branch 285 – in Damascus and held for 64 days. “Manhal” said: “They pulled out my fingernails and toenails. They made me stand up for 8 days, tying my hands on metal bars above my head. They gave me no water, no food, no toilet, no place to sleep until I confessed to being a terrorist, and they always beat me. I have seen so much death, and I’ve been tortured nearly to death. They used electricity. They put it on sensitive areas on your body. They poured water on my body and they started beating me, beat beat beat. My skin became blue. My ribs were also broken. We were about 15 people in a 10-square-meter room without air, without even a window. We didn’t sleep, we just sit on each other. They gave us 2-3 litres of water for all of us per day and just some bread. I left many people in the same situation.”

In Damascus, there is a street known locally as “Branches Street” due to the number of state security branches situated there, some of them underground, where torture and overcrowding are known to be commonplace. Some of the regime’s most notorious torture chambers can be found behind al-Jamerek Building in the Kafr Souseh area of the capital, including the Military Raids Branch, Military Investigations Branch (or Branch 228), Damascus Intelligence Branch (or Branch 227) and two detention facilities – one on the 4th floor, and one on the ground floor.

Avaaz’s research adheres to a strict verification process. Each death or arrest is confirmed by three independent sources, including a family member of the deceased and in the case of a death, the imam who performed the funeral procession.

Working with a team of 58 human rights monitors in Syria, in addition to partner organisations on the ground, the global campaign organisation Avaaz has verified the deaths of 6,874 people in Syria between March 15 to December 9 of last year.

Of the 69,000 detained since March, over 37,000 people remain in detention and some 32,000 people have been released, many of them bearing scars from torture and violence.

ENDS

For further information about how our figures and data is recorded, please contact Wissam Tarif on +961 76 994461 or wissam@avaaz.org.

For any other information please contact Will Davies on +44 7855 419901 or will@avaaz.org

Notes to editors

Interactive map of Syria’s detention centres: http://disappeared.avaaz.org/detentioncentres.html

General points

Branches are divided between Political Security, Military Security, State Security, and Airforce Intelligence. The organisational structure can be seen in each province as outlined in the information below.

Torture is prevalent and takes place in almost all detention centres. Most severe forms of torture take place in the military, security and air force intelligence branches where victims are interrogated before they are sometimes transferred to prisons. Most former detainees have reported that conditions in prisons are less terrible than those of state branches, as they receive some food in prisons. Aside from torture, many of the detainees gave evidence of severe overcrowding.

In addition to the listed prisons, there are several locations for illegal, make-shift detention centers, including local schools, soccer fields, movie theaters, hospitals, factories, sport stadiums, warehouses, abandoned buildings, and underground storage areas. There are individual military prisons on every single base in Syria.

Torture methods

Former prisoners have described prison conditions to Avaaz. Common methods of torture, all recorded by Avaaz, include:

The German Chair – The detainee is tied to a metal chair with moving parts, then the chair is folded backwards so that it extremely pressurizes the prisoner’s spine and leads to a quasi-permanent asphyxiation. This may cause vertebrae to be fractured, a paralysis of the arms for months, chronic headaches, hypertension, urinary tract infections, stomach problems
Electrocution, applied to genitals and other body parts
The Wheel – Where the detainee is put inside two large vehicles’ wheels, in a position that his backside is down, his hands are tied behind his back, and only his head and feet are on the wheels; the detainee is beaten on his face and feet until they bleed
Removal of fingernails and toenails
Suspension by the hands from the ceiling & made to stand for days
Head smashed against radiator
Beatings to the head
Extinguishing cigarettes on the body
Sleep deprivation

Homs Detention Centres

Airforce Intelligence
Located on Hama Road. A former detainee reported that he was amongst 14 other detainees held in a 2m meter by 2 meter room. Avaaz has received graphic evidence of 16 detainees that were killed under torture. Activists from Baba Amr have described these bodies as showing signs of organ theft under closer examination. In the photographic evidence, many of the bodies show signs of having had their eyes gouged out. Survivors have left the Branch with severe disabilities after interrogation and torture. Length of detention differs in this Branch with some detainees held only between 1-4 days while some are held for weeks.

Military Security Branch
Al-Qusair, al-Jala’ Street

Political Security Branch
100 meters away from Military Security Branch, al-Qusair

Homs Central Prison
Homs Central Prison detainees are currently on strike in protest of the living conditions at the prison. They have said that the strike will continue until Arab League Observers visit the prison. Detainees have describes sleeping amongst piles of garbage. 4,000 detainees are currently being held, at several times the capacity of the prison. The official capacity of the cells is at 56 prisoners, but 300 have been crammed inside each. Food is still divided amongst 56 people, however, so prisoners are only being fed enough to keep them alive. Detainees are held in freezing conditions, with at least 3 people sharing a single blanket in most cases. The detainees began their hunger strike ton December 28. There are high-profile activists currently on strike such as Najati Tayara, the father of SNC member Naji Tayara and a long-time anti-regime activist.
Avaaz has obtained this information: “Between 50 and 100 detainees are introduced almost daily without the exit or release of any of the present detainees. The dormitories have about 65 beds but because there are 300 detainees, the detainees take turns sleeping on beds and on the ground due to overcrowding. Each dormitory has 3 toilets for 300 people. The water is almost always cut. There is no cleaning so the garbage accumulates in the cells and the detainees have to live amongst it. There are many insects as a result of this and they have caused skin rashes and boils. Lice has also afflicted the detainees because of the dirty conditions and no access to showers or baths. Many cases of food poisoning are reported.”
Deir Mkhales Church
Located between Nezha and Deir Mreijeh in Bab Sibaa. “About 20 people were detained initially but more came in at a later time and after I had been released. Detainees there face severe beatings. This is a temporary detention facility. We are held there for a few hours and beaten but then we are either released or taken the Military Security Branch in Bab Sibaa”.
Military Missile Factory
Criminal Security Branch
Located in Zaidal, on the outskirts of Homs. Currently being used as a detention centre.
Homs Military Hospital
“I was held at the Military Hospital in Homs after I was injured and it was used as a detention centre. My family paid and so I was eventually released and faced no torture whilst inside, but others did. I was chained to the bed but when the door of the room was open, I could see that there was a room across the corridor that was locked for 15 days. When I got transferred to the Airforce Intelligence Branch after the hospital, I met the detainees held in that room. They had started out as 20 people in that room, but some had died. They had not been fed for the entire duration of their detainment. In the room where I was held, an injured man on the bed next to me was beaten at least once a day.

His leg wasn’t treated. I could see the worms and small insects crawling in and out of the wound with my own eyes. In the same hospital, they would use a drill to gouge out eyes. They also used an iron welder to burn the flesh off your body as you are awake. In some cases also, they would use brute force to pull your hair out.

At the hospital they also used the method of hanging you upside down. They kept people hanging like that for days.

Sometimes they changed the method of torture according to your “crime”. For photographers and videographers, they broke their arms, their wrists, and individual fingers. They also gore their eyes out.

On one floor of the hospital, entry was completely forbidden except to a few. There were rumours that organ theft was taking place in that room. Sometimes you can tell from the incision on the body. Mohammad Rabi’ Turkmani, aged 20, had a T-Shaped incision on his body when eh was handed back to his family and his kidney had been taken. There was a morgue inside a morgue at the hospital for these particular cases. Some of the hospital staff said that these bodies had incisions on them where they would insert a small camera. We heard also of eyes being sold.”

Damascus and Damascus Suburbs Detention Centres

In Damascus, there is a street called the “branches” street because of the amount of state branches. This street is behind al-Jamerek Building, in Kafr Souseh. The branches on this street are:

Military Security Branches (Head: General Abd Al Fatah Qudsia)

Military Raids Branch
Military Investigations Branch (Branch 228)
Khaled’s account of Military Investigations: “In this branch, one of the techniques is that they put the head of someone and squeeze it between two iron walls and this sometimes smashes their heads in. Some people have died from that. Another is a wooden bed of two pieces that folds together at the middle. It’s called the German Chair. Sometimes they put you on your stomach and they fold it so that your legs reach your head and your spine is broken and you are paralysed. The wheel was the easiest. I loved it in comparison to the other instruments they used.

In general, first you are detained and taken to security forces branches, then to see a judge, then you go back to the branch where they start a file for you and then back to the judge where you get a sentence. We in the security branches dream of the paradise that is prison. Because in the prisons you live a normal live but you are detained. In the security branches, you are not human, you are stripped of all your rights, you are all the time humiliated. You are starved, without water and food or even your right to go to the toilet.

In this branch We were 40 persons in a 10 metres squared room. We were allowed to go to the toilet twice, sometimes three times a day but that was torture in itself. You have 8 seconds to do your business. They count and then kick the door in, sometimes they kick the door so hard that it hits your head and your head bleeds. Speaking is forbidden. Sleeping should not be forbidden but sometimes it is. By the rules of the security forces branch, you are only forbidden sleep from morning to afternoon, but the head of the prison would play with you, sleep deprive you, torture you. They used to laugh and mock us .

There are elderly men held here – a 70 year old man was humiliated and his sons were with him. He was punished before his sons. It was a painful scene for us. To see your dad being tortured because he is old. He gets hit on his way to the bathroom because he can’t run fast enough and he can’t go fast enough. And it hurts you to see your elderly father suffering from hunger.

This branch is specialised for defected soldiers. Sometimes even before you defect, even if you show a sign of remorse about shooting demonstrators you are imprisoned and taken to this place. There was one man who was tied on the door of a single cell. He was allowed some food twice a day and toilet trips twice a day. Sometimes he was forbidden the toilet trips and had to go on himself.

Some cells in the branch are so small you can’t measure them by metres but by centimetres. Even if you are on your own there is no room to sit down, only enough room to stand.

If you are sick, they won’t bring a doctor. But they will bring a doctor in cases where they see that you are close to death because at times it is their responsibility to keep you alive.”

General Headquarters of Intelligence (Branch 285)
Manhal’s account of the Intelligence Branch:
“What happened to me is a catastrophe actually. I have been detained, someone had told them about me. They caught with me all my devices, the thurayas, and my tools and some videos and all. I have been detained for 64 days actually. I have been tortured in my fingers and toes, and my nails have been removed. I’ve got really really bad situation. No water, no food, no toilet, no place to sleep until I confessed and they always beat me. I have seen death, I’ve been tortured to death. After I confessed and then they tortured me. They made me stand up for days. They tie your hands on metal and you still stand. For 7-8 days actually that happened to me. They gave me little food, just enough not to die. Many things have happened. I’m really, really… I can’t say. I can’t tell. My tears are on my chest for what I remember now, for what happened me. They used electricity. They put it on sensitive areas on your body. They tell me, they curse me “you are an activist”. You can’t imagine how barbarious they are. They told me “ you want freedom, you are an activist” and then they started torturing me. They put me 3 days in open air, standing up, tied, no food. They poured water on my body and they started beating me, beat beat beat. My skin became blue.

I saw Shabiha enter the place where I was and they took me and they injured me many times before I got to the building of the security forces. I’ve seen death actually. Nobody can imagine what happened to me. I left many people in the same situation. We were about 15 persons a 10 square meters room without air, without even a window. We don’t sleep, we just sit on each other. They give us 2-3 litres of water for all of us and some bread. You just sit, we live sitting. You just sit on your back and you have about 30 cm square. That is your share. You sit on that 30 cm square.

It’s a really long story, this is nothing in what happened to me. After they have got my confession, they made me stamp with my finger many papers. And they put me back, and they forgot me for a while, just torturing me, not asking for confessions or taking me to the detective’s place. After I confessed, I was tortured again. The torturing was all around. You don’t have a toilet. If you want to go to the toilet, you would be beaten many times. So you don’t feel your want. You hate the feeling that you’d like to go to the toilet. If they got you to the toiled that they’d count to three, “1,2,3”. If you haven’t finished they start beating the door on you and pouring water and getting you out.

There is many ways of torturing, I can’t express it in English. They put you in a tyre. They put you on your back and then you enter your legs, and then they put your head inside the tyre. You are like the letter U inside the tyre. And your hands are tied. They put you on your back so that your legs are up. And then they start beating you on your legs. They don’t hit you with sticks, sticks are like silk! They take copper pipes and they hit you with it.

The way I got out was that the judge saw my confession, and he my body and that my nails were removed. And he realised, and I told him, that I was innocent and had confessed under torure so he let me out. My ribs have been broken also. So I confessed that I killed security forces which is not true. But I didn’t confess to having weapons, I don’t know how to use arms. They accused me of being a terrorist. They accused me of killing Syrians, of cursing Mr President, and going to the channels and giving them untrue news. I confessed to being an activist and speaking to the foreign media and defining human rights. And that is the catastrophe, that I am calling for human rights. They accused me of being a political activist but I didn’t confess to that. Having the tools that I have, that is crime, like my Thuraya for example. They stole all my money.

I was released on the 20th of October at noon. The judge didn’t condemn it but he did register that this confession had been taken under torture. So he didn’t accept that. He doesn’t know anything fo what’s happening. I just told him 2-3% of what happened and then he released me. He can’t do anything actually but release me. There are many cases. I got to death actually. Everyone in there, we have all been tortured, some people more than other people. They are all tortured, unanimously, without knowing what is your crime. But if they knew that you are an activist, an educated man, that’s a catastrophe. The jail men and the detectives, they hate us. They hate educated people. Educated people are hated. They tried many times to know the Skype password but I denied that I have a Skype account. I denied many times. They have seen the Skype name, but I didn’t you know…. If they had seen it and I confessed that you are the human rights that I am getting to, that would be a catastrophe for me. You won’t see me.”

Damascus Intelligence Branch (Branch 227)
Two prisons – One on the 4th or 5th floor (unconfirmed), and one on the ground floor) Notorious for being the branch where detainees get tortured the most

Damascus Suburbs Military Security Branch – Director of the Branch: Rustom Ghazaleh
Located in the middle of al-Mazze Highway, near al-Moshtahed roundabout Another notorious prison known for its torture of demonstrators

41st Special Forces Batallion Building:
Located undere famous bridge near Harasta

Palestine Branch (Branch 235) (Head: General (Liwaa) Ali Rostom)
Located on Airport Road, near the Mechanical Engineering College. The basement of this branch is a prison. There are 16 dormitories and 32 solitary confinement chambers. In every dormitory, there are between 30-50 detainees, although in theory, the capacity of the rooms is 20. There are another 6 holding cells on the ground floor.

Duty Patrols Branch (Branch 216)
Near the Palestinian Branch, the Duty Patrols Branch is made up of several buildings; there is an underground prison in one of these buildings.

The Counter-Terrorism Branch
In the area of Jisr al-Abyad

Political Security Branches

Damascus Suburbs Political Security Branch
Located at the end of al-Mazze Highway, behind the blood bank. This branch heads several branches Former detainee Mohammad told Avaaz: “There is a prison on the 5th Floor and holding cells underground. There are prisoners that have been held there for 4 years. Severe forms of torture are carried out in this branch. Some have been subjected to this severe torture over the length of their 4 year detainment.”

Jibbe Political Security Branch
In the Jibbe area, near Mazraa
Former detainee Rami said: “We were taken from a demonstration in the suburbs and loaded on on to a bus and taken to the Political Security Branch in Jibbe, II was held here for 3 days and I just want to emphasise that although my experience was harrowing, it was nothing compared to what most people face. For 3 days I was kept standing on my feet and beaten almost constantly. I was deprived of sleep and food. Sometimes they would suffocate me with a blanket and tie it around my neck. They didn’t electrocute me, but someone that had argued with the security forces on the bus was electrocuted constantly over the period of the 3 days that I was there. I heard many screams. The prison was underground and there were solitary confinement rooms where people were held. I wasn’t held in one of those because there wouldn’t be enough space for the beating. I was held in a room in the branch, not a cell.”

Political Investigation Branch (Head: General (Liwaa) Deeb Zaitoun)
Located in front of al-Fayha’ Sports Hall on al-Adawe Street.
The prison is in a basement and it holds 23 solitary confinement chambers

Maisat Branch
Mir al-Jebbe Roundabout

Adra Prison (Heads: General Nabil Al Gajari & Colonel Abd El Meniem Skaaf) 
There is a building south of the main Adra Prison building which has now been converted into a prison for political detainees – it is where worst torture practices have been documented. 14 cases of execution have been confirmed by Avaaz. Bodies are buried in the prison yard. Former detainee Omar said: “There are many solitary confinement chambers. They are 2 metres in length, 65 cm in width, and 2.5 metres in height. There is a toilet in the same room and sometimes 3 people are held in this tiny, dark tunnel at once. I was in a cell that officially had a capacity of 36 people but we were 120. That was in first wing. Prison food at Adra was enough, in the Branches though, they don’t feed you.”
In 2010, the prison held 7,000 prisonders, amongst them 12 women. Prominent opposition members were held there such as Anwar al-Bunni, Mas’ud Hamid, and Haitham Manaa,

Sednaya Political Prison
Capacity is 15,000. Each dormitory has 16 square meters holds 40 detainees. This prison is under military control.

State Security State Security Headquarters (Head: General Ali Mamlouk) Kafr Souseh, near al-Mushtahed Roundabout. There are two prisons, one on the East Wing and one on the West Wing.

al-Khatib Branch (Head: General Hafez Makhlouf)
Located on Baghdad Street, it currently hold 41 detainees. Almost all detainees are from Douma.

Presidential Palace
A security branch located in Mount Qasyoon.

Airforce Intelligence Branches (Head: General Jamil Hassan)
Airforce Intelligence Branch
Located at al-Mazze Military Airport. One of the worst detention centres. The administration of the branch is in Tahrir Square in Zablatani
Airforce Intelligence Area branch
Located in Harasta on the Arbeen junction. Holds over 2,000 detainees.

General:
Douma Mayor’s Office
Used as a detention centre
Douma Prison
Douma Women’s prison
External security branch
Al-Maliki area
Information Security Branch
Criminal Security Branch
Located in al-Jamerek Square
al-Tal District Prison

Hama Detention Centres

Hama Military Security Branch (Branch 219) – Head of branch: Mohammad Mefleh
Mohammad Mefleh is responsible for the June 3rd “Friday of the Freedom of the Children” massacre where the recorded number of deaths was 78 but activists believe it was for more. Activists also claim that Mefleh was promoted to the position as head of branch He was promoted because of this.
Former detainee Samer said: “The amount of torture is unbelievable. They hit you everywhere including sensitive parts of your body. They would hangyou by the hands for 2-3 days, some were hung by the hands for a week. When they let them down they couldn’t use their legs anymore. People are tortured sometimes by sticking wooden sticks in their anuses. They torture everyone there with no exceptions. Some are held for long periods of time for example 4-5 months. Some are held for a week. The random arrests are held for less time but they are tortured too. There are no exceptions. I was very lucky, I was tortured for only 10 days. It’s very normal to see people with broken arms and jaws that are untreated there for weeks. It’s happening in security branches all over Syria.”
Hama Central Prison
Hama Prison
Near the industrial district

Aleppo Detention Centres

Aleppo Central Prison
Aleppo State Security Branch
Jabal Samaan
Airforce Security Branch Prison
al-Zahra’, near the Orphanage
Qualaat Halab Prison

Daraa Detention Centres

Air Force Intelligence Special Operations Branch
5,000+ detainees being held here, as verified by a former prisoner

Deir Ezzor Detention Centres

Deir Ezzor Prison

Lattakia Detention Centres

Civil Prison
al-Maghrabi al-Arabi Street behind the courthouse
Political Security Branch
Revolution Highway near the water company. There is a small garden across from. The prison is on the ground floor.
Military Security Branch
The Haroun roundabout, across from al-Hassan Mosque
State Security Branch
Adjacent to the water company Air Force Intelligence Branch
Mashrou’ al-Sabe’ near Nour Records. The prison is two floors underground
Criminal Security Branch
Teshreen neighbourhood as you enter from al-Zaqraqniye
Another branch is located in the in Harasta area
Jul Jamal School Sports City
Ramel al-Jnoubi, al-Taqasi Square, Beit Jomaa Building
Navy Administrative Headquarters
Soccer Stadium
Currently holding detainees

Hassakeh Detention Centres
Hassakeh Central Prison 

Idlib Detention Centres

Jisr al-Shaghur Detention Centre
Detention centre in the countryside near Hloz village

Tadmur Detention Centres

Tadmur Prison
Located in the deserts of Tadmur, about 125 miles northeast of Damascus.

Tartous Detention Centres
Tartous Prison
“Several thousand” detained here according to activists.

Suweida Detention Centres

Suweida Civil Prison
Located near Al-Masaken district.
Qanawat State Prison

Regime officers complicit in torture

State Security Intelligence

Head of State Security, Major General Ali Mamlouk, also acts as head of coordinating body between security branches (Head of General Security Directorate)
Ordered and signed detention orders for thousands of Syrian people.
Interviewed prisoners of conscience before their release and imposed terms and conditions of their release (most were detained again for refusing or fled the country).
General Zuhaier Al Hamad, Deputy of Major General Ali Mamlouk. State Security
Ordered and observed building the torture detention center next to Adraa central jail.
General Nazih Hasoun – State Security
Ordered torture of detainees
General Thair Al Omar – State Security
Ordered torture of detainees
General Hafiz Makhlouf – State Security
Ordered torture
Signed detention orders
Participated in interogation of activists after torture and sent many to torture by verbal order

Military Security Intelligence

Major General Abd Al Fatah Qudsia, Head of Military Security Intelligence
Ordered establishing field military courts for defected soldiers
Ordered executions of defected soldiers.

General Ali Younis, Military Security
Acted as Field court judge
Ordered detentions and torture of hundreds of civilians in Kafarsouseh Military security branch

General Adnan Assi, Military Security
Ordered detention and torture of thousands of civilians in military branches all over the country.

Palestine Security and detention Center Damascus

General Mohamed Makhlouf, Head of Palestine Security Branch
Observed and managed the interrogation, detention, torture and forced confessions of thousands of detainees in the infamous branch.

National Security – External Division

General Fouad Fadel
Detentions and torture of three journalists, including Algerian journalist for Le Monde newspaper, Khaled Sid Mohand.

Air Force Intelligence

Major General Gamil Al Hassan
Ordered torture and detentions.
General Adib Salamah, head of investigations team.
Ordered and participated in interrogations and torture of detainees.

Political Security

Major General Mohamed Deeb Zaitoun
Ordered detentions and torture.