Description
The draft should meet the 1500-word minimum requirement, which is approximately 6 pages double-spaced, but please use the word count feature of your word processing program to ensure that you have met this minimum requirement. Drafts should carefully cite (in-text citations or footnotes) all sources that were used in writing the draft.
At the top of the first page, please include a brief 150 abstract or executive summary of your project. Please then label the following components and address each thoughtfully with evidence in draft form.
- Executive Summary
- Statement of the Issue/Problem
- Origin/History of the Problem and Current Context
- Critique of Policy Options
- Preliminary Policy Recommendation (It’s understood that these will be in draft form, but the more developed they are, they paper feedback you’ll receive.)
- Bibliography – 10 high quality sources minimum (A minimum of 3 of these must be peer-reviewed sources, the remainder may be authoritative reports, legislation, court cases, etc. Although you are highly encouraged to use news sources, these should not be included in the 10 source minimum.) Please include full bibliographic information using a recognized academic style, preferably Chicago and include in-text citations or footnotes as necessary.
Unformatted Attachment Preview
Purchase answer to see full attachment
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Running Head: TORTURE IN SYRIA
1
Torture in Syria
Name
Institution
Instructor
Course
Date
TORTURE IN SYRIA
2
Executive Summary
Torture is a common contemporary human right policy problem globally. In Syria, torture
remains a serious human rights violation dating back to the start of the Civil War in March 2011.
Even though Article 7 of ICCPR forbids all forms of torture, the Syrian regime continues to
engage in widespread and systematic torture and other human rights violations. There have been
several reports of torture in Syria. More than 100,000 Syrians have been detained in torture
chambers since the start of the civil war (Linfield 2019). Amnesty International has reported that
17,723 Syrians were murdered in detention from 2011 to 2015. Various policy options have
failed to end torture and overall human rights violations and the war in Syria. US policy of
regime change since 2003 has failed and resulted in inaction or reluctance to act by Washington.
However, negotiation and agreement to ban all forms of torture and uphold international human
rights law between Amnesty International, the Syrian government and UNs OHCHR could help
end torture and other forms of State persecution in Syria. Similarly, a peaceful political
settlement between the regime and the opposition based on decentralization of power through
new federal government structures could foster power-sharing, autonomy for local and religious
groups, and the enforcement of law and order by a central government. These policy solutions
could help end torture of Syrians and the civil war.
TORTURE IN SYRIA
3
Statement of the Issue/Problem
Torture is a serious contemporary human right policy problem. Around the world today,
torture continues to be a common human rights violation issue. Whereas torture is against human
rights law, many countries continue to use this form of inhuman punishment as a means for
curbing dissent and reprimanding innocent citizens, prisoners or criminals. According to Article
1 of the United Nations Convention against Torture, torture is defined as any action that
deliberately imposes pain or suffering, whether bodily or mentally on an individual for the
objective of gaining information from them, or a third individual information or an admission,
reprimanding the individual for an act they or a third party perpetrated or alleged of having
perpetrated, or threatening or forcing the individual or a third party, or on any grounds based on
any form of discrimination, where such agony or discomfort is imposed by or at the
encouragement of or with the agreement or compliance of a public officer or other individual
acting in an official capacity (UN General Assembly 1984). The article further stresses that
torture does not comprise pain or suffering solely from, related to or intrinsic in lawful
authorizations (UN General Assembly 1984).
In Syria, torture is widespread and a well-documented human rights violation. Since the
start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, the Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad,
has been widely and repeatedly condemned for human rights violations including torture by
powers such as the US, France, the UK, Germany and other international organizations such as
the UN, Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and journalists
and among other groups. There are have been several reports of torture in Syria by the
government and its forces, especially in prisons. According to Qiblawi and Tuysuz (2018), the
torture committed on Syrians by the Syrian regime has been well-documented through videos,
TORTURE IN SYRIA
4
photos, films and mobile phones’ recordings by the military, journalists, ex-officers and
courageous citizens since the start of the civil war (Qiblawi and Tuysuz 2018). Torture is used by
the Syrian regime to suppress opposition dissent and opposition forces, maintain power and
increase fear among civilians in order to ensure that the regime remains in power.
Under international law, torture is banned. Under Article 7 of The International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman
or degrading treatment or punishment.” This Article of the UN resolution protects every human
being’s right to be free from torture including cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment. The Syrian regime torture of civilians and prisoners constitutes a severe violation of
this treaty and other international human rights laws, which legally forbids torture in any form.
Origin/History of the Problem and Current Context
Torture in Syria dates back ages in history. However, in recent Syrian history, the use of
torture by the government can be traced back to President Hafez al-Assad regime between 1971
and 2000. For instance, in 1982, P...
Review
Review
