Progressive Advocates Laud Diversity Of Assad Execution Victims

The regime has been working on expanding its torture and murder to an ever-expanding list of populations.

Damascus, February 8 – Progressive organizations reacted with gratification to reports yesterday that Basher Assad’s regime has tortured and executed thirteen thousand people at a notorious prison since 2011, noting that the people killed in such brutal fashion represent all walks of life in Syria, indicating that the regime is dedicated to maintaining diversity.

Representatives of the Black Lives Matter movement, Médecins sans Frontières, the Committee against Torture, and several other groups dedicated to progressive human rights issued a joint statement this morning, following the Amnesty International report on Monday detailing the available information. According to the data in the report and several other sources, say the groups, it is clear that the Assad regime is trying to be as inclusive as possible, and as diverse as possible, in selecting who gets to be thrown in boiling water, who gets to have his or her nails pulled out with pliers, and who gets to be beaten to death.

“We applaud the government of Syria for its demonstrable commitment to diversity,” read the statement. “Given the sectarian nature of the Syrian conflict it would be expected for them to focus on Syrian Sunni Muslims, but our examination of the data indicates that the figure of 13,000 tortured and executed includes Shiites, Alawites, Maronite Christians, Druze, and Palestinians – both Palestinian refugees and non-refugees. Skin tones among those targeted has varied considerably, though that has been difficult to ascertain for all 13,000, considering that many were flayed alive before the statistics could be compiled, rendering that classification imperfect.”

A Syrian government spokesman acknowledged the statement and asserted that the regime has been working on expanding its torture and murder to an ever-expanding list of populations. “This is the product of a conscious effort,” he stated. “Perhaps one day there will be no need to engineer the inclusion of so many different kinds of people in these incidents, and we move toward a future in which indiscriminate mayhem naturally affects a diverse swath of humanity. In the meantime, however, it is clear that anyone who values diversity must work to ensure that all identity groups are included in the torture and mass murder.”

Some criticism nevertheless appeared in the statement. “While the steps the Assad government has taken to ensure diversity are welcome, we urge Syria to continue working on the areas in which diversity is still a problem,” it continued. “Priority should be given to including Israelis, especially Israeli Jews, in the populations targeted by the Syrian military and its allies.”

Please support our work through Patreon.