Weapons and meddling from every direction Syria Slides into the Abyss

Syrian rebels committing human rights abuses: HRW
20 March, 2012 – Al-Akhbar

Armed opposition groups in Syria have kidnapped, tortured, and executed members of the security forces and supporters of President Bashar Assad, the New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday.

The rights group condemned the tactics by opposition fighters, who have long accused government troops and loyalists of carrying out similar abuses.

“The Syrian government’s brutal tactics cannot justify abuses by armed opposition groups,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, in an open letter to dissident groups.

“Opposition leaders should make it clear to their followers that they must not torture, kidnap, or execute under any circumstances,” she added.

Syria’s armed opposition is highly fragmented and many militias do not appear to belong to an organized command structure or to be following political opposition groups such as the Syrian National Council (SNC) and the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change (NCB).

The year-long uprising in Syria, in which the United Nations says more than 8,000 people have been killed, started as a peaceful protest movement. But it has become increasingly violent as daily clashes between rebels and security forces have continued around the country.

HRW cited dozens of YouTube videos in which Syrian security forces or their alleged supporters confessed to crimes, apparently under duress.

At least 18 of the videos showed detainees who were bruised, bleeding, or suffering from other signs of physical abuse, the groups added.

One video showed a man hanging from a tree by his neck in front of several armed fighters with commentary indicating that he was a member of the Shabbiha, the feared irregular forces loyal to Assad.

HRW said some of the attacks appeared to have sectarian motivations, targeting members of Assad’s own Alawi sect.

Human rights abuses by armed rebels pose a problem for Syria’s political opposition, which is struggling to exert control over militias fighting the regime.

The SNC reneged on its original goal of a peaceful revolution, and has endorsed military action, but so far its attempts to coordinate and command divided armed groups have yielded few results. …more