UN: Young woman commits suicide after sexualized torture by government intelligence

Description

The United Nations Human Rights Council’s independent commission of inquiry on Syria released a report on February 5 documenting crimes against humanity committed since September 2011. The investigation’s findings include numerous cases of rape, sexualized violence, and sexualized torture.

According to the UN report, a woman from Homs said that a government intelligence agency in that city detained a 17- or 18-year-old young woman around May of 2012. After being detained for a month, she was “forced to serve tea to her father and her captors while naked.” When she returned home, the report states, “she bid goodbye to her mother and father and then committed suicide by throwing herself from the roof of her home.”

The UN refers to the account as “partially corroborated,” noting that a defector from Air Force Intelligence and a young woman from Homs confirmed some of the details. However, the date and exact location of the reported rape is unknown. Because Syrian government officials currently refuse to allow access to journalists, researchers, and aid workers, WMC's Women Under Siege cannot independently verify this report of sexualized violence in Syria.