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Inside the Syrian government’s plan to crush dissent: Act now | ||||||
Dear friends, Last week’s horrific chemical weapons attack against women, men and children in Syria violates international law, causing further terrible suffering and deaths of civilians. Tragically, this attack is just one of the many ways civilians in Syria have been targeted during the conflict. Amnesty recently exposed the Syrian government’s monstrous campaign to crush dissent by executing between 6,000 and 13,000 civilians in secret at Saydnaya prison. The names of the Syrian prisoners — as many as 50 at a time — were called out in the middle of the night. Most of them were civilians who were convicted after “trials” that lasted one to three minutes. They were moved to a cell in the basement of the prison where they were beaten. They were then taken to another building where they were executed. Blindfolded, they did not know how or when they would die until the noose was placed around their necks. These horrific details emerged through a year-long investigation by Amnesty exposing how the Syrian government’s chilling policy of extermination turned Saydnaya prison into a human slaughterhouse. This research likely would not have surfaced without Amnesty’s investigative strength. Donate to support our efforts sending crisis investigators into war zones to uncover human rights abuses and bring perpetrators to justice. Following interviews with 84 witnesses — including former Saydnaya prison guards, detainees, judges and lawyers — Amnesty reported that the mass hangings described above — which took place once or even twice a week between 2011 and 2015 — were authorized at the highest levels of the Syrian government. In these five years, as many as 13,000 people, most of them civilians believed to be opposed to the government, were hanged in secret at Saydnaya. When confronted with our research in an interview, Syrian President al-Assad lashed out at Amnesty, calling our report “fake news.” Contrary to his denials, we have strong reason to believe this murderous routine is ongoing. We cannot let these crimes against humanity continue to go unpunished. Please donate to support our efforts distributing this shocking report and sending more crisis investigators into the field. Amnesty has revealed a hidden, monstrous campaign, authorized at the highest levels of the Syrian government, aimed at crushing any form of dissent within the Syrian population. The people of Syria need your help. Sincerely, Margaret Huang Executive Director, Amnesty International USA | ||||||
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» Inside the Syrian government’s plan to crush dissent: Act now
