Springfield, Va. — Alhurra Television’s debut of Syria’s Torture Machine exposes the widespread and systematic use of torture by Syrian President al-Assad’s security forces. The hard-hitting documentary will be followed by a live discussion examining the use of torture by the Syrian regime and the calls by international community to stop the bloodshed. The guest panel will feature a former Syrian Army officer and a Syrian activist who was recently detained. The two-hour special will air Saturday, April 7th at 20:00 GMT.
Syria’s Torture Machine is an investigation into the torture of Syrian civilians, featuring video evidence of men, women and children being subjected to beatings, whippings and more elaborate torture. This film, produced by ITN Productions, interviews victims, refugees and activists who have experienced or witnessed such brutality at the hands of Syrian President al-Assad’s forces. Their stories, combined with the torture footage, counter President Assad’s claims that his forces are simply quelling an armed insurgency.
“Syria has been an important focus of Alhurra since the crisis erupted more than a year ago. The documentary takes a methodological approach examining the footage of torture of the Syrian people that has been shot by cell phones, many times by the captors themselves,” stated MBN President Brian Conniff. “The discussion following the documentary will also provide insights into the reasons regimes use torture.”
The two-hour special will be hosted by Eye on Democracy’s Mohamed Al-Yahyai. The live panel will include Dr. Jerrold Post, Director of Political Psychology Program at George Washington University; Abdullah Al-Said, former Syrian Army officer; Anas Al-Shami, Syrian Member of Parliament; and a Syrian activist who was recently detained and tortured in Syria. The discussion will also include feedback from the audience through Alhurra’s Facebook page.
Alhurra is broadcast on the Nilesat and Arabsat satellites in the Middle East. Alhurra is operated by the non-profit corporation “The Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc.” (MBN). MBN is financed by the U.S. Government through a grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an independent federal agency. The BBG serves oversight and as a firewall to protect the professional independence and integrity of the broadcasters. For more information on Alhurra visit www.alhurra.com.
Contact
Deirdre Kline
Director of Communications
Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc.
001-703-852-9250
