Having failed to stop the protests and demonstrations in Syria through their various means of oppression, besieging cities, censoring and cutting off communications, and even firing live ammunition, which has killed hundreds of Syrians, the Syrian government has, in recent days, intensified their effort to arrest citizens. The average daily number of arrests has spiked dramatically to at least 500 people. These arrests are carried out sporadically, as well as through intense raids which are targeted against different areas every day.

The government uses the most heinous methods to arbitrarily arrest Syrians. In some cases, dozens of armed security agents storm and seize homes. They inflict humiliation and intimidation upon those in the homes, and have even been reported to steal gold and other items during the raids.

Due to the massive overcrowding of our prisons, the security branches are unable to accommodate the rapidly growing number of detainees. As has been witnessed and confirmed by informants within those security branches, this problem has led to the mass release of detainees on a regular basis, but only after those detainees have been subjected to the worst and most violent forms of torture.

The live ammunition fired into the crowds have not stopped the young people from continuing to demonstrate. The crowds are only growing in size and momentum. The government’s fierce campaign of arbitrary mass arrests will not succeed where their bullets have failed.

We call on all of the coordinating committees of those who have been arrested to connect the arrested with human rights organizations. They must testify about the torture they have suffered to get the attention of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council, and other international bodies who deal with crimes of torture that do not fall under any statute of limitations, and who will protect the safety and anonymity of the witnesses.

We must continue our peaceful revolution throughout Syria until we achieve the freedom we demand. In the meantime, we must document everything to ensure total accountability for the perpetrators of crimes committed by Syrian security forces against us, the peaceful demonstrators.

We offer our compassion and sympathies to all Syrian martyrs. We hope for the victory of our revolution for the cause of a free and democratic Syria.

3/5/2011

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