“The Photographed Holocaust”
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The Syrian Network for Human Rights notes that this study includes a graphic and violent content for Syrian victims who died under torture in government detention centers. It is worth nothing that the leaked images have been edited to reduce its graphic nature.We received the images directly from a defector from the Department of Forensic Evidence in the Military Police, known as Caesar and Mr. Sami, the computer technician.
I- Introduction:
Since the beginning of the uprising in March 2011, the Syrian government resorted to arbitrary arrests as a policy to oppress revolting civilians. Syrians have been suffering from a ruthless killing machine which relied on different killing methods that amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes, midst international silence. By far, torture remains one of the most brutal and ferocious methods of death practiced by the Syrian government.
In its first report on 23 December 2011, SNHR and other international human rights organizations accused the Syrian regime of committing crimes against humanity.
We received a number of images for detainees who were killed under torture in detention centers. Their families confirmed that they were in good health and did not suffer from any diseases or illnesses upon their arrest; however they were killed under torture. It is worth noting that the Syrian regime did not release all victims’ bodies, except in certain cases. In SNHR we documented not less than 417 bodies that were received by victims’ families and beard signs of torture.
In a number of documented cases, we lack pictures of killed detainees or any official documents that prove their death, since sometimes government forces do not provide the detainees’ families with death certificates or their bodies. Therefore, we rely on testimonies of other detainees or we communicate with the detainees’ families who inform us that they were contacted by officials from the security branches to inform them of their son or daughter’s death. In some cases, detainees’ families resort to bribing security officials to receive some information about their detained children or family members. Also, detainees’ parents fear being arrested, if they want to claim their children’s bodies or their personal belongings.