Far From Justice - Human Rights Watch

defendants trying to show signs of torture on their bodies before the judge.” 99 A defendantwho has finished serving his sentence described to Human Rights Watch his sentencing day:Just after Fayez al-Nouri [the presiding judge of the SSSC] sentenced me, Itook off my shirt to show the diplomats and lawyers in the audience thetraces of torture on my back. Immediately, members of security jumped onme. 100Based on testimonies from a number of former detainees, the most common forms of tortureused by the security forces to extract confessions are beatings and kicking on all parts of thebody, especially beatings on the soles of the feet (falqa). A defendant described the torturethat he endured at the Political Security branch during investigation in 2003:The investigation began. It involved beating and more beating. Ali Makhlouf[head of political security] was present. The investigation lasted for 12 days.Two sessions of beatings per day. They beat me on the bottom of my feet, onmy head. After 20 days in detention, they took me to an office and told me tosign my confession. I said, “I want to read it.” I was beaten again, forced tothumb print the confession and sign. I never managed to read it. 101Interrogators used a number of devices to immobilize detainees and facilitate the beatings.A defendant sentenced by the SSSC in November 2005 described to Human Rights Watchthe dulab (the “tire”), a common form of torture where security forces make a victim lie downand bend his knees and then place a car tire around his legs to keep the bottom of his feetexposed:They [Air Force intelligence members] put me in a tire to expose the bottom ofmy feet and started beating me with a cane. Whenever I would lose feelingfrom the repeated hits, they would throw water on my feet so that it wouldhurt again. Afterwards, they would make me strip and stand in the coldMarch weather. 10299 Ibid.100 Human Rights Watch phone interview with former detainee K.K., August 22, 2008. A diplomat who was in the audience,confirmed the incident to Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch interview with Damascus-based Western diplomat C.D.,Beirut, April 14, 2008.101 Ibid.102 Human Rights Watch phone interview with former detainee S.S., November 17, 2008.Far From Justice 30