Torture and ill-treatment are widespread in Syrian detention centres and are used against political suspects and ordinary criminal suspects, women and men, and children. Amnesty International has documented about 40 different methods of torture and ill-treatment used. “Confessions” extracted under duress are systematically used as evidence in Syrian courts. A number of people suspected of “terrorist” activities have been arrested and tortured with the apparent cooperation of Western intelligence agencies. Syria is one of the providers of detention centres to which the USA transfers alleged terror suspects without any legal process (“rendition”) for interrogation, often under torture and ill-treatment.
