Syrian forces 'executing, burning' opposition sympathizers in Idlib city: Amnesty

Damascus, May 5 (ANI): Syrian forces are executing scores of suspected opposition sympathizers, often burning their bodies in piles or torching them in their homes in the northern city of Idlib, a report by a human rights organisation has claimed.

The Amnesty International report, prepared by senior crisis adviser Donatella Rovera, gathered harrowing testimonies of victims and their families, caught up in a purge of Idlib and surrounding villages, which have steadily intensified over the past six months.

According to The Guardian, the report said that hundreds of homes in some villages have been burned down and their populations terrorised by forces who kill with impunity.

The report quoted a woman whose house was set alight on 11 March, as saying that it was pointless reporting the incident unless she blamed terrorists.

In the Sarmin area near Idlib, a woman claimed that her three sons had been taken from their home early on 23 March and killed.

According to the paper, after troops routed Homs in early March, Idlib became a focal point of the violence ravaging Syria, with regime forces hunting down defectors who had fled their posts in the city and rallied in the hinterland.

The testimonies add to the weight of evidence that has emerged from Syria over the past 14 months of an uprising that has repeatedly been opposed with brutal means. (ANI)