Begin quote from:
May
15 (UPI) --The Syrian regime of President Bashar al Assad is executing
dozens of prisoners per day and wiping out their remains inside a new
crematorium, the …
U.S. officials: Syria prison executing at least 50 inmates a day
The department said Syria's actions have been carried out with "unconditional" support from allies Russia and Iran.
The U.S. State Department on Monday said the Sednaya military
prison in Damascus executes at least 50 inmates every day and
incinerates their remains in a crematorium. File Photo by Sana/EPA
May 15 (UPI) -- The Syrian regime of President Bashar al Assad
is executing dozens of prisoners per day and wiping out their remains
inside a new crematorium, the U.S. Department of State said Monday.
Asst. Secretary of State for the Middle East Stuart Jones said a crematorium at the infamous Sednaya military prison is destroying the corpses at a rapid rate. Jones said at least 50 inmates at the Damascus facility are being killed daily.
Jones also showed photos of the crematorium during Monday's news briefing.
"The continued brutality of the Assad regime, including the
use of chemical weapons, presents a clear threat to regional stability
as well as the national security interests of the United States," he
said. "The Assad regime's actions include well-documented airstrikes,
chemical weapons attacks, arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings,
starvation, sexual violence and denial of essential services."
The U.S. government has long accused Assad of a large list of human rights abuses, including multiple chemical attacks -- the most recent of which killed nearly 100 civilians and children in March, and drew a retaliatory missile strike from the United States.
Jones' remarks came three months after a report by Amnesty International in February that outlined various abuses by the Syrian government at Sednaya and called the prison a "human slaughterhouse."
"These practices, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, are authorized at the highest levels of the Syrian government," Amnesty International said in issuing the report.
Assad, though, has repeatedly denied human rights accusations as well as the use of chemical weapons.
Monday, Jones said Syria's actions have been carried out with "unconditional" support from allies Russia and Iran.
"The horrors depicted in this report reveal a hidden, monstrous campaign ... aimed at crushing any form of dissent within the Syrian population," Amnesty International Deputy Research Director Lynn Maalouf said. "Russia and Iran, the government's closest allies, must press for an end to these murderous detention policies."
The State Department said the information about the mass cremations came from human rights watchdogs and nongovernment intelligence sources.
Asst. Secretary of State for the Middle East Stuart Jones said a crematorium at the infamous Sednaya military prison is destroying the corpses at a rapid rate. Jones said at least 50 inmates at the Damascus facility are being killed daily.
Jones also showed photos of the crematorium during Monday's news briefing.
ADVERTISING
The U.S. government has long accused Assad of a large list of human rights abuses, including multiple chemical attacks -- the most recent of which killed nearly 100 civilians and children in March, and drew a retaliatory missile strike from the United States.
Jones' remarks came three months after a report by Amnesty International in February that outlined various abuses by the Syrian government at Sednaya and called the prison a "human slaughterhouse."
"These practices, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, are authorized at the highest levels of the Syrian government," Amnesty International said in issuing the report.
Assad, though, has repeatedly denied human rights accusations as well as the use of chemical weapons.
Monday, Jones said Syria's actions have been carried out with "unconditional" support from allies Russia and Iran.
"The horrors depicted in this report reveal a hidden, monstrous campaign ... aimed at crushing any form of dissent within the Syrian population," Amnesty International Deputy Research Director Lynn Maalouf said. "Russia and Iran, the government's closest allies, must press for an end to these murderous detention policies."
The State Department said the information about the mass cremations came from human rights watchdogs and nongovernment intelligence sources.
No comments:
Post a Comment