Hazem Saghiyeh

Let us take for granted all the pretexts invoked by the Syrian regime, i.e. that it is targeted by an Arab, Turkish and Western conspiracy, that some assassins, troublemakers and collaborators are igniting strife and that the real target is Syria's rejectionist stance and its support for the Resistance.

Still, one thing remains, which can hardly be glossed over: Why rape men, women and youths in Syrian prisons according to the official report of the International Commission of Inquiry on Syria?

We shall read this paragraph of the report and keep to ourselves the anger and disgust we may – or may not – feel: “Many former detainees reported cases of hitting [detainees] on their genitalia, forcible oral sex, electrocution and cigarette burns on the anus in detention facilities, including those of the Air Force Intelligence in Damascus, the military Intelligence in Jisr al-Shughur, the Military Intelligence and Political Security in Edleb and Latakia and Intelligence services in Tartous.”

Do these actions not provide, as such, enough cause to topple the regime?

This “rape policy” is based, among other things, on sowing aggression and predominance between the rapist and the rape victim and on breaking the victim now and in the future. When this act is perpetrated by a “regime,” rape grants this regime a bodily and biological edge over the people it rules, not to mention the psychological cracks inflicted upon them. Indeed, the regime is not only acting as an owner [of the people] entitled to exert the maximum amount of control, platitude and destruction on those it rules, but also showing off its sadistic wishes and fantasies in a victorious manner.

Much has been written about rape and its significance. However, one merely needs to say that a side, which suffered such a “defeat,” and one, which has scored such a “victory” cannot possibly coexist, even using such means and tools.

In this sense, the regime is sending the following message to the people: I want to live with you only in your capacity as raped people whose bodily violation represents the culmination of countless violations affecting your freedom, job, education, etc. This message actually recommends rape in prisons where power and strength are on one side and total weakness on the other. Yet the uprising also conveys another counter-message from the people to the regime, namely: We cannot live with you because you can only exist as a rapist.

Note: Al-Dunia TV and possibly even sympathizing Lebanese channels will probably question this “colonizing” report. Who knows? Fatwas may even be issued, holding those who were raped responsible!

This article is a translation of the original, which was posted on the NOW Arabic site on Monday December 5, 2011