Amnesty claims torture rife in secret al-Qaeda jails in Syria

Torture is rife in secret prisons in Syria run by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis), Amnesty International has said.

Amnesty said that the group, an affiliate of al-Qaeda, is carrying out serious rights abuses, including flogging children.

Isis is one of the main jihadist groups fighting government forces, and has a strong presence in the north of Syria, the BBC reports.

According to the report, Amnesty identified seven Isis detention facilities in these areas, in its report Rule of Fear: ISIS Abuses in Detention in Northern Syria.

The report said some of those detained were accused of crimes against Islam.

The crime included smoking cigarettes or sex outside marriage, and some were even held for belonging to rival armed rebel groups.

Isis is also reported to have made a number of arrests of activists and journalists covering the fighting in Syria, the report added.