Part of an exhibition at the United Nations headquarters in New York showing pictures of torture practiced by Syrian regime forces (Getty)

The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria accused President Bashar al-Assad's regime of "continuing to eliminate, torture and ill-treat detainees."

This was stated in a report published by the committee within the framework of the 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The report confirmed that there has been an "unprecedented wave of violence" in Syria since 2020, and that the war parties carried out attacks against civilians and infrastructure in a manner that "may amount to a war crime."

He stated that "the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Syria is pushing people into increasing despair."

The report indicated that the increase in conflicts during the recent period began after the attack on a military college graduation ceremony in the city of Homs, which is under the control of the Assad regime, on October 5, 2023.

He pointed out that the Assad regime and Russian forces responded to the aforementioned attack by bombing at least 2,300 areas under opposition control within 3 weeks, leading to the death and injury of hundreds of civilians.

The report indicated that "the Assad regime continues to liquidate, torture, and mistreat detainees, and that more deaths have been documented" as a result.

The report stated that with the start of the Israeli attacks on Gaza last October, tensions increased between some foreign forces present in Syria, especially Israel, Iran, and the United States, which led to increased fears about the expansion of the conflict.

He explained that Israel bombed forces in Syria said to be linked to Iran, and the areas under the control of those forces, at least 35 times, which led to a temporary halt to vital UN humanitarian air services by attacking Aleppo and Damascus airports.

The report stated that pro-Iranian groups attacked US bases in Syria more than 100 times, and Washington responded with air strikes against pro-Iranian militias in eastern Syria.

He stressed that there are "cruel and inhumane treatments, as well as practices that amount to insulting personal dignity" in the "Al-Hawl" and "Roj" camps, where some Kurdish organizations keep the families of ISIS members.

The report stressed that the Syrian people are facing unprecedented challenges, and that 16.7 million people in the country are currently in need of humanitarian assistance, and that “the number of people in need has reached the highest level since the beginning of the crisis.”

Paulo Pinheiro, head of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, whose opinions were included in the report, said that the largest escalation in the conflict in Syria over the past four years has occurred since October 2023.

Pinheiro stressed that more than 90% of the Syrian people live in poverty, and that they do not have the energy to withstand the intensification of this "destructive and long-term" war.

Source: Anadolu Agency