Syria using rape as weapon against opposition women and men

[tabatha]

Posted on May 29, 2012 by HMH10
By: Ruth Sherlock

In the jails and interrogation centres of secret police, prisoners have been brutalised, either at the hands of officers, or more often with a bottle or other utensil.

“In detention facilities rape is clearly used as a form of torture to humiliate and degrade people, and to bring back the wall of fear,” said Nadim Khoury, Deputy Director for the Middle East at Human Rights Watch.

The claims come as Britain prepares to launch a campaign against rape as a weapon of war that will be the centrepiece of its presidency of the G8 countries next year.

William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, will today recruit the Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie to highlight the issue at a meeting at the Foreign Office. He has ordered the establishment of a special diplomatic team to document and help ensure the prosecution of sexual war crimes in conflict zones to support the initiative.

http://mar15.info/2012/05/syria-using-rape-as-weapon-against-opposition-women-and-men

[loyalsister]

1. Nothing new or unique about that

There is a very long history of rape in wars.

Rape during wartime:

Whenever there is an unbalance of power, the potential for rape increases. This is true particularly during the chaos of wartime.

Rape during wartime appears to have gone through three main stages: rape as a routine and expected reward to the victors, random rape due to lack of military discipline, and systematic rape as a military technique to demoralize the opposition.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/war_rape.htm

[Nuclear Unicorn]

2. Except this isn't war

This is a dictator suppressing people.

[loyalsister]

3. There is an imbalance of power and people are being attacked

Those are the conditions where war rape is common.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

4. War can necessary for one side. What Assad is perpetrating is purely criminal

Mass scale criminality and perhaps perpetrated by people in uniform but it is not war.

[loyalsister]

5. Even during unnecessary conflict

war rape occurs.

http://www.historiann.com/2008/04/07/rape-still-a-powerful-weapon-of-war/


Rape of women during wartime -- Ancient times until World War II

http://www.religioustolerance.org/war_rape1.htm

My point is that we have needed to address this for a long time.

[Odin2005]

6. Where are the Assad apologists now?

This shit makes me so fucking mad. The Assad supporters are starting to remind me of all the Serbs who think Miloshovich and Mladich are heroes.

[PragmaticLiberal]

7. Wow....

Assad actually has apologists on DU?

[Vehl]

8. Asad has to go

This guy is beyond despicable

Ps: And no..he should not be allowed to "migrate" to live a life of luxury in some other country, immune from persecution (like some ex dictators who live in Saudi Arabia), but should be given to the Syrian people, and face the music.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

9. How to get rid of him is the question.