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Past photo of current Syrian strongman Dr. Bashar Assad, right, meeting with former Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak, recently overthrown by the Egyptian people in the Arab Awakening. Mubarak never could order the Egyptian army to attack his own people, but Assad has, with extreme prejudice. (source)
Another infamous Doctor of Torture and State Terror, "Papa Doc" Duvalier of Haiti, shown with a rifle in his hands, his son "Baby Doc" in the foreground. Papa Doc was actually a physician too before obtaining power:
Dr. Assad has more in common with Papa Doc every day. (photobucket source)
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From this, an excerpt from the Hippocratic Oath "Dr." Bashar Assad presumably had to take when he graduated from medical school in the 90's:
I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.
devolving to this in the Spring of 2011 under his presidency in Syria:
(source)
Dr. Bashar Assad, whose legacy is now starting to resemble that of Papa Doc Duvalier in Haiti, and his Baath Party-controlled autocracy have sunk into the depths of human depravity and savagery. Why is his odious regime not being taken to task more ferociously by the rest of the world? A few tepid sanctions are not going to change the egregious situation highlighted below around. Much more needs to be said and done. At the very least, the UN General Assembly and Security Council should be condemning this 24/7. First of all, though, let's take a close look at what IS going on in Syria beyond the fog of propaganda:
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Various human rights and media organizations have been monitoring and investigating the Assad government since protests began, despite Assad's attempt to employ Israel's "Gaza Technique", banning the international media from the country except for embedded Disney excursions and the release of State propaganda meant for journalists to regurgitate, while security forces try to shut down all efforts by citizens within the country to communicate with the outside world. What has surfaced from these truth-seeking efforts, without a doubt, is that the Assad regime is now a torture state, as the following revelations will illustrate:
1) Let's start with an older press release, dated April 15th, from Human Rights Watch:
Activists and Journalists Also Arrested and Mistreated(New York) - Syrian security and intelligence services have arbitrarily detained hundreds of protesters across the country, subjecting them to torture and ill-treatment, since anti-government demonstrations began in mid-March 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. The security and intelligence services, commonly referred to as mukhabarat , have also arrested lawyers, activists, and journalists who endorsed or promoted the protests, Human Rights Watch said.
Syrian authorities should immediately stop the use of torture and free arbitrarily detained demonstrators, activists, and journalists, Human Rights Watch said. The government of President Bashar al-Asad should order prompt and impartial investigations into serious abuses against detainees and ensure all those responsible are brought to justice.
"There can be no real reforms in Syria while security forces abuse people with impunity," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "President al-Asad needs to rein in his security services and hold them to account for arbitrary arrests and torture."
