Escaped Syrians say Assad regime engaged in 'systemic' torture and murder

AMMAN, Jordan -- Syrians who escaped the dictatorship of Bashar Assad said Tuesday that the use of torture by the regime as documented by the release of hundreds of new photographs is commonplace.

"I was detained multiple times and tortured until my ribs and four of my fingers broke even though I was blindfolded, handcuffed and my legs were tied," said Nayef al-Sari, 40, an activist in Daraa, Syria. "This regime tortures because it can't handle the revolution on the ground and is trying to assert power again. It has much blood on its hands."

On Monday, a report by three international war crimes prosecutors obtained by USA TODAY and first reported by CNN and the Guardian newspaper accused the Syrian government of the "systemic" killing of 11,000 people detained by the regime from the start of the revolution in March 2011 until last August.