UN: Syrian regime uses rape as weapon of war

By Fatih Erel

GENEVA

The Syrian regime and its associated militias have perpetrated sexual violence including rape against people from the opposition that constitute war crimes, UN investigators said on Thursday.

The 29-page report by UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, released on Thursday, "I lost my dignity: Sexual and gender-based violence in the Syrian Arab Republic", is based on 454 interviews with survivors, relatives of survivors, defectors, doctors, lawyers, and examines the perpetration of sexual and gender-based violence by parties since the uprising in March 2011 through December 2017.

Rapes and other acts of sexual violence carried out by regime forces and associated militias at checkpoints, during house searches and ground operations formed part of attacks, and "amount to crimes against humanity" and also "constitute the war crimes", the report said.

Noting that regime forces and affiliated militias further perpetrated sexual violence, including rape and other acts against women, girls, men, and boys in 20 detention centers, the report said: "Rape of women and girls was documented in 20 government political and military intelligence branches, and rape of men and boys was documented in 15 branches."

The report also said Daesh and other armed extremist groups executed women and girls by stoning on charges of adultery and forced girls into marriage.

By Fatih Erel

GENEVA

The Syrian regime and its associated militias have perpetrated sexual violence including rape against people from the opposition that constitute war crimes, UN investigators said on Thursday.

The report also said Daesh and other armed extremist groups executed women and girls by stoning on charges of adultery and forced girls into marriage.