Torture and 17,000 deaths in Syrian jails

More than 17,000 people have died in Syrian government detention facilities since the start of the 2011 uprising against President Bashar Assad, Amnesty International has said.

The international human rights group said in a new report that many other people have been tortured.

A catalogue of evidence reveals 19 prisoners were beaten to death after guards found one teaching martial arts skills; prisoners suffocated in overcrowded cells; inmates had their fingernails and toenails pulled out; and guards used a variety of torture methods during interrogations, including forcing male prisoners to rape each other or risk being shot dead.