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ANALYSIS
“Mr. Assad, in an interview with the New York Times and other journalists last year, insisted that detainees were being treated according to Syrian law and that their families could locate them by appealing to the judicial system. But the report corroborates numerous accounts given to the Times by current and former detainees in several prisons across Syria, detailing regular torture and deprivation. It also echoes reports from families of detainees that the government has refused to provide even basic information such as where they are and whether they are alive,” Anne Barnard writes for the New York Times.
“The allegations come at a sensitive time for [Syrian President Bashar Al] Assad, who is in the process of crushing the nearly six-year-old rebellion against his rule but still lacks international legitimacy. The findings of the report are expected to be on the agenda for the next round of Syrian peace talks, scheduled to be held in Geneva on Feb. 20, Amnesty said,” Liz Sly writes for the Washington Post.
“The Syrian army is not nearly as functional as it used to be. The army is relying more and more on militias, and Assad is dependent on manpower mobilized by Iran. Russia is trying to rebuild parts of the Syrian army now, but just as the United States found in Iraq, Russia will find it difficult. A year or two ago, Assad?s position seemed more tenuous. I don?t think anyone now thinks he is going to be forced out of office. Turkey has decided that Syrian Kurds are a bigger threat than Assad, which further consolidates Assad?s position,” former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert S. Ford said in this CFR interview.
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