Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has ‘tortured and hanged 13,000 political prisoners’ in four years, human rights group says

SYRIAN leader Bashar al-Assad has tortured and hanged 13,000 political prisoners in four years, it was claimed.

Victims were given “trials” lasting just a few minutes before being sentenced to death, said human rights group Amnesty International.

Many others have died from starvation, infection or mental stress caused by barbaric conditions at Sedenya military jail.

4

A former Syrian military officer told the charity that 15 to 40 political prisoners were killed every day.

He said they were held at the 20,000-capacity jail, north of Damascus, with criminal inmates.

4

4

The bodies of those executed were slung into mass graves on military land, it is believed.

It is the first evidence said to prove that Assad, 51, has authorised torture to punish opponents and crush dissent.

He has long been suspected of such action.

RELATED STORIES

ASSAD'S ADVANCE

Syrian troops tighten noose around ISIS in northen city of Al-Bab - but fears grow of clash with Turkey

BLOW UP DOLLS

Terrorists strapped grenades to children's toys in Syria in sickening act of desperation before Aleppo was overrun by government troops

'outstanding bravery'

Brit hero Ryan Lock who died fighting ISIS 'turned gun on himself to avoid being taken prisoner'

IS ASSAD CRITICALLY ILL?

Rumours Syrian tyrant is on his deathbed sweep Middle East...but regime deny he is sick

Amnesty said: “It’s inconceivable that these large-scale and systematic practices have not been authorised at the highest levels of the Syrian government.”

But President Assad looks set to hold on to power because rebel forces have been repelled and a peace deal is under discussion.

4

Representatives of his regime are preparing to meet officials from Turkey, who have backed the rebels, later this month.
Russia and Iran, both Assad allies, will also join the talks.