Syrian Regime Has Killed 60,000 Prisoners Says Watchdog Group

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is seen as reliable, said that at least 60,000 have died in Syrian prisons over the past five years of the civil war. He said most of the deaths were either due to torture or to lack of food or medication in the detention centers. Rights groups have accused Syria of systematically using torture in its prisons and mentioned the Saydnaya prison north of Damascus. The head of the Observatory, Rami Abdel Rahman, said he compiled the list of those killed from regime sources. He said government forces have arrested 500,000 people since the conflict began five years ago. He also said that “several thousand” people have died while being held by rebel groups or Islamic State.