head of rights watchdog: Photos of Syrian massacre suggest systematic torture

These would certainly be crimes against humanity of outrageous proportions, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, said referring to images and a report by a team of senior war crimes prosecutors obtained by Anadolu Agency that show the systematic killing of nearly 11,000 detainees at the hands of Syrian regime forces. "If the authenticity of these gruesome photos is confirmed, they suggest a systematic level of torture, starvation and execution of prisoners that boggle the imagination," Roth said in a written statement to AA. Roth also said that these photos highlight the importance of pressing with equal vigor to stop the abusive way that the Syrian war is being fought, including the Syrian government's "routine indiscriminate attacks on civilians, its deliberate blockage of humanitarian aid to civilians in need", and if these photos are authentic, "the mass torture and execution of detainees". "It may not be able to stop the fighting quickly, but much more can be done to stop these horrendous attacks on noncombatants, including civilians in opposition areas and detainees in custody," Roth concluded. Martin Nesirky, spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General told AA that they cannot comment specifically on this issue, however, the UN continues to call on all parties to stop these massacres