LE MONDE, AFP (France), AL JAZEERA (Qatar), HRW (USA)
On Tuesday, eight people were killed in a mutiny at a prison in Syria’s second city Aleppo, where the conflict has intensified.
The opposition Syrian National Council told AFP that security forces opened fire and used tear gas on prisoners during a peaceful sit-in to protest against inhumane conditions.
Human Rights Watch reported tens of thousands of people have been incarcerated since the beginning of the uprising in March 2011, with detainees often subjected to electric shocks and physical abuse.
A similar prison mutiny took place earlier in the week in Homs, resulting in two deaths.
Clashes between rebel fighters and regime officials continue throughout Syria.
Le Monde reports that Free Syrian Army rebels have created numerous check-points around the city and appear to have gained control for the time being.
Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi on Monday announced the regime would be prepared to use chemical weapons on foreign “aggression”, but ruled out using weapons of mass destruction on Syrian citizens, Al Jazeera reported.
“Any stocks of WMD or any unconventional weapons that the Syrian Arab Republic possesses would never, would never be used against civilians or against the Syrian people during this crisis at any circumstances, no matter how the crisis would evolve, no matter how,” Makdissi said.