Female Syrian prisoners suffer

Female Syrian prisoners are living under “dire conditions”, according to new letters leaked online. Handwritten messages from female detainees at Adra Prison in Damascus have been published on an opposition-run website Zaman-alwsl.net. One message reveals the tragic story of the death of a prisoner, 50-year-old prisoner Hoda Torki Issa, in February. "She suffered a great deal. No doctors were available at the prison and the police command and political security would not allow her to go to hospital despite her serious condition because she was a political prisoner," read one message. According to the note, Issa's life could've been saved, but one officer said "We're not sending a patrol out for one person." As a result, the detainee "died before our eyes and her body is still in the police hospital's morgue and her family has not even been told she is dead." Meanwhile, other notes described the conditions female prisoners are living in as “dire”, with many suffering routine “cruel and inhumane” treatment at the hands of the police. Lack of healthcare, food and electricity are common among prisons in Syria, with many forced to buy their own water, said the messages. In addition, the prisoners at Adra revealed that only 35 detainees out of 100 are allowed visitors, meaning many women’s families have not even been notified to their whereabouts. "Girls who are transferred bear the marks of torture, through the use of electricity. So many of them suffer from deadly diseases, the guards can only give paracetamol so many die before our eyes," said one female prisoner. According to the prisoners, pregnant women and children have also been detained, with many refused formula milk. The prisoners are now hoping for the victory of the Free Syrian Army in defeating Assad’s regime, in the hope that they will be freed as a result. "We know how heavy the load is on the people and the opposition, but we want to direct your attention to the living death we are experiencing. Syria's freedom is our freedom and there is no dignity for us so long as (Syrian President Bashar) al-Assad's forces continue to rape our country," read one message. A number of Syrian human rights groups have confirmed that women prisoners in the country are being subjected to torture, maltreatment, rape and beatings by the government forces that often result in death. The Syrian Network for Human Rights reported that 1215 Syrians have been killed under torture since the start of the revolution in 2011. This includes 17 women, 34 children and 23 elderly people over the age of 60. The network's report described the deaths as "systematic torture" by regime forces and put the number of prisoners currently detained at 194,000, 9000 of whom are under 18 and 4500 of whom are women.