Thousands of detainees have died during Syrian civil war, inquiry finds

Several thousand detainees have been executed, beaten to death or otherwise left to die during Syria’s civil war, under policies that appear to amount to extermination under international law, according to investigators.

The UN-backed Commission of Inquiry on Syria presented a 25-page report on killings of detainees by President Bashar Assad’s government.

It also cited execution policies by radical groups like the Islamic State and al Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front.

The report is drawn from 621 interviews conducted between March 2011 and November 2015. Investigators say they are short of enough evidence to provide more specific estimates of numbers.

The report seeks “targeted sanctions” against unspecified individuals or groups responsible for such crimes.

The investigators lamented inaction by the UN Security Council over criminal investigations.