Syrian teenager believed to be first female to die in custody since uprising

Zainab al-Hosni’s mutilated remains were found by her family in a morgue, according to Amnesty International An 18-year-old Syrian woman, whose mutilated body was discovered in a morgue, is believed to be the first female to die in custody during the country’s six-month-old uprising, Amnesty International has said. The family of Zainab al-Hosni found her corpse by chance as they searched for her activist brother’s body in the city of Homs, the human rights group said. The family said she had been decapitated, her arms cut off, and skin removed. “If it is confirmed that Zainab was in custody when she died, this would be one of the most disturbing cases of a death in detention we have seen so far,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa. Amnesty said Ms Hosni was abducted by plainclothes individuals believed to be members of the security forces on 27 July, apparently to pressure her activist brother Mohammad Deeb al-Hosni to turn himself in. The deaths of Ms Hosni and her brother bring to 103 the number of people who have been reported killed in Syrian custody since the uprising began in March, Amnesty said. Overall, the UN estimates 2,600 people have been killed since the revolt began in March, and there is no sign of either side giving up. The protest movement has proved remarkably resilient, although the opposition has no clear leadership that could offer an alternative to President Bashar al-Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for more than 40 years. On Friday, Syrian security forces opened fire on thousands of protesters calling for the opposition to unite against Assad’s regime. Friday protests have become a weekly ritual in Syria, despite the near-certainty that security forces will respond with bullets and tear gas. The protests came as the European Union agreed on an investment ban in the Syrian oil sector to put more pressure on Assad to end his deadly crackdown. An activist group, known as the Local Coordinating Committees, said security forces killed one person outside the al-Maari mosque in Damascus. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces killed another man near Homs. An activist in Homs, Majd Amer, said there was unprecedented security presence in the city. “They have been deploying here since last night,” said Amer as cracks of gunfire could be heard in the background. The Syrian government has banned foreign journalists and placed heavy restrictions on local coverage, making it difficult to independently verify reports. Syria Middle East Bashar Al-Assad Arab and Middle East unrest guardian.co.uk

Posted by on September 23, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.