America Rejects Assad and his Torture Chamber

When he was buried in May, Majd al-Kurdy was nearly unrecognizable. His face was severely disfigured. He had cuts to the chest, long vertical slashes on the thighs, and what looked like gunshot wounds on the back of his legs.

Majd was buried with his brother So’dat, who also showed signs of mutilation. They were Syrians, two of nine young men seized by the Syrian army during an attack in Tell Kalakh.

During the raid, scores of men were arbitrarily arrested and tortured, including people already wounded. Security forces shot people as they fled to Lebanon.

Majd’s body was returned to his family in a nylon sack. They identified him by the tattoo of his girlfriend on his upper arm.

It’s a detail I cannot shake.

Larry Cox
President
Amnesty International