News Center- The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria has released a report on rights violations committed by Turkish-backed groups in areas they invaded in North and East Syria. The report said, “SNA (Syrian National Army) members continued to commit torture, including rape, and cruel treatment, murder, hostage-taking and pillage, all of which may amount to separate war crimes.”

The report has also documented the cases of rape and other forms of sexual violence, perpetrated by SNA members, including of children. Including many cases of rape, the report said, “The Commission has found that rape and other forms of sexual violence occurring in government-controlled detention facilities amount to crimes against humanity and that members of armed groups, such as SNA and HTS (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham) committed the war crime of rape and other forms of sexual violence.”

Violations by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham in the northwest Syria

“HTS members continued detaining civilians arbitrarily, including individuals critical of their rule. In most cases documented by the Commission, people were arrested by HTS “general security” members and held in prison branch 33 (Idlib), or in another detention facility reportedly attached to a courthouse (Sarmada). Both facilities were described by survivors as “secret prisons”, where detainees were confined to their cells, not provided with adequate food nor medical care, denied access to legal counsel and, except in one case, also contact with their families. The presence of pregnant women and children, including infants, in Sarmada central prison was also confirmed,” the report said.