Warning: graphic content and photos below.
Thousands of photos showing evidence of the "systematic torture and killing" of alleged detainees in Syria were released Tuesday as part of a report by a team of war crimes prosecutors and forensic experts.
According to the report, the photos were provided by a Syrian military police photographer and smuggled out of the country on memory sticks. The Guardian newspaper and CNN provided details of the report, which is based on thousands of photos of dead bodies that showed evidence of brutal beatings, starvation and other forms of torture. Some of bodies also showed signs of emaciation, and some had no eyes.
CTV News cannot independently confirm the authenticity of the photos nor the testimony referenced in the report.
In an interview with CNN, report author David Crane called it direct evidence of the systematic torture and killing by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
"This is a smoking gun," Crane told CNN. "Any prosecutor would like this kind of evidence – the photos and the process. This is direct evidence of the regime’s killing machine."
The Guardian, citing three lawyers who examined the files, reported that Syrian officials could face war crimes charges as a result of the leaked photos.
The Guardian obtained a copy of the report, which was commissioned by London solicitors acting for the Gulf state of Qatar – and was made available to various government, the UN and human rights groups.
According to the Guardian, three forensic science experts examined and authenticated samples of 55,000 digital images, comprising about 11,000 victims.
The 31-page report was commissioned by Carter-Ruck solicitors in London on behalf of Qatar, a supporter of the Syrian uprising. Three lawyers, all former prosecutors at the criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Sierra Leone, examined the evidence and said they found the defector, who goes by the name of Caesar, credible.
