13,000 Syrians dead in government prisons: NGO

Beirut, March 13 (IANS/EFE) A total of 12,751 people have died in Syria as a result of torture while imprisoned under the government's custody since the conflict began in the country in March 2011, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, or SOHR.

Among the staggering figure, 108 were thought to be children and 53 women, all of whom died in captivity.

In some cases, authorities released the bodies of the deceased to the families, while in other circumstances they only informed families of a death, and asked them to pick up a death certificate.

Some families were forced to sign a document that stated that their relative had died by the hands of armed opposition groups, according to the SOHR.

The NGO noted that these figures do not include the more than 20,000 people reported missing in regime prisons.

For four years, Syria has suffered a conflict that has left more than 200,000 people dead, according to the UN.

--IANS/EFE

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