A recent report by Human Rights Watch claims thousands of Syrian opposition members have suffered brutal torture at the hands of the government. One activist told CNN he spent 40 days in solitary confinement, enduring “dulab,” a technique in which one’s legs and head are forced into a car tire and beaten. “They threw cold water on our naked bodies and they also urinated on us,” he said. Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, feels bad about a Turkish jet that was shot down in Syrian air space. “We want to think of it as a pilot’s error and we would consider this an isolated incident, which shouldn’t be exaggerated,” Assad reportedly told a Turkish newspaper. “I say 100 percent ‘if only we had not shot it down.’” Last week a Turkish representative condemned the shooting and described Syria as a “clear and present threat.” Assad insisted, “We will not allow [the shooting] to turn into open combat between the two countries.”
