OSMANIYE, Turkey (AA) - The torture and killing of Syrians will continue if Bashar al-Assad's regime remains in power, according to a defected member of the Syrian army.
Lieutenant Basim Hocog says he witnessed restrained captives have their clothes stripped from them and their skin scalded with hot water.
"I always saw dead bodies of captives," he said. "While serving as a lieutenant in Suwayda military airport, I was under pressure by the Assad regime. Due to this reason, I escaped from the regime and joined the opposition group to struggle against the regime."
The Syrian defector said that recently published reports and photographs allegedly depicting torture by the Syrian regime are ensuring that the true nature of the conflict is coming to light. He claims that the Assad regime was torturing members of the public even before the civil war started.
Hocog, who lost sight in both of his eyes in a Syrian army bombardment of Homs, has been taking shelter in Turkey for the past eight months.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
