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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/15/world/middleeast/torture-in-syria.html?ref=middleeast
UN Official Condemns Use of Torture in Syrian War
(New York Times) Nick Cumming-Bruce - UN human rights chief Navi Pillay condemned the rampant and routine use of torture by the Syrian authorities in a report released Monday, which also records torture by some armed opposition groups. "Upon arrival at a detention facility, detainees are routinely beaten and humiliated for several hours by the guards in what has come to be known as the 'reception party'," the report states, drawing on 38 interviews with released prisoners conducted by UN investigators. "Our findings confirm that torture is being routinely used in government detention facilities in Syria, and that torture is also used by some armed groups," Pillay said. "In armed conflict, torture constitutes a war crime. When it is used in a systematic or widespread manner, which is almost certainly the case in Syria, it also amounts to a crime against humanity."