...the Syrian authorities’ violations at Saydnaya amount to crimes
against humanity. Amnesty International urgently calls for an
independent and impartial investigation into crimes committed at
Saydnaya.
However, even at a cursory glance, before even reading the full body of
the report, under a section titled, "Methodology," Amnesty
International admits it has no physical evidence whatsoever to
substantiate what are admittedly only the testimony of alleged inmates
and former workers at the prison, as well as figures within Syria's
opposition.
Image: What you are looking at is a 3D model fabricated entirely in the United Kingdom, based solely on satellite pictures and hearsay. Passed off as evidence this technique of "forensic architecture" may soon become a new tool in the dissemination of war propaganda if it is not exposed.
Within the section titled, "Methodology," the report admits:
Despite repeated requests by Amnesty International for access to
Syria, and specifically for access to detention facilities operated by
the Syrian authorities, Amnesty International has been barred by the
Syrian authorities from carrying out research in the country and
consequently has not had access to areas controlled by the Syrian
government since the crisis began in 2011. Other independent human
rights monitoring groups have faced similar obstacles.
In other words, Amnesty International had no access whatsoever to the
prison, nor did any of the witnesses it allegedly interview provide
relevant evidence taken from or near the prison.
The only photographs of the prison are taken from outer space via
satellite imagery. The only other photos included in the report are of
three men who allege they lost weight while imprisoned and a photo of
one of eight alleged death certificates provided to family members of
detainees who died at Saydnaya.
The alleged certificates admittedly reveal nothing regarding allegations of torture or execution.
Articles like, "Hearsay Extrapolated - Amnesty Claims Mass Executions In Syria, Provides Zero Proof," provide a detailed examination of Amnesty's "statistics," while articles like, "Amnesty International “Human Slaughterhouse” Report Lacks Evidence, Credibility, Reeks Of State Department Propaganda,"
cover the politically-motivated nature of both Amnesty International
and the timing of the report's promotion across the Western media.
However, there is another aspect of the report that remains unexplored -
the fact that Amnesty International itself has openly admitted that the
summation of the report was fabricated in the United Kingdom at Amnesty
International's office, using a process they call "forensic
architecture," in which the lack of actual, physical, photographic, and
video evidence, is replaced by 3D animations and sound effects created
by designers hired by Amnesty International. Amnesty Hired Special Effects Experts to Fabricate "Evidence"
In a video produced by Amnesty International accompanying their report, titled, "Inside Saydnaya: Syria's Torture Prison," the narrator admits in its opening seconds that Amnesty International possesses no actual evidence regarding the prison.
The video admits:
There are almost no pictures of its exterior [except satellite
images] and none from inside. And what happens within its walls is
cloaked in secrecy, until now.
Viewers are initially led to believe evidence has emerged, exposing what
took place within the prison's walls, but the narrator continues by
explaining:
We've devised a unique way of revealing what life is like inside a
torture prison. And we've done it by talking to people who were there
and have survived its horrors... ...and
using their recollections and the testimony of others, we've build an
interactive 3D model which can take you for the first time inside
Saydnaya.
The narrator then explains:
In a unique collaboration, Amnesty International has teamed up with
"Forensic Architecture" of Goldsmiths, University of London, to
reconstruct both the sound and architecture of Saydnaya prison, and to
do it using cutting-edge digital technology to create a model.
In other words, the summation of Amnesty International's presentation
was not accumulated from facts and evidence collected in Syria, but
instead fabricated entirely in London using 3D models, animations, and
audio software, based on the admittedly baseless accounts of alleged
witnesses who claim to have been in or otherwise associated with the
prison.
Eyal Weizman, Director Forensic Architecture
Eyal Weizman, director of "Forensic Architecture," would admit that
"memory" alone was the basis of both his collaboration with Amnesty
International, and thus, the basis for Amnesty's 48 page report:
Memory is the only resource within which we can start [to]
reconstruct what has taken place. What does it feel like to be a
prisoner in Saydnaya?
Weizman's organization, "Forensic Architecture," on its own website, describes its activities:
Forensic Architecture is a research agency based at Goldsmiths,
University of London. It includes a team of architects, scholars,
filmmakers, designers, lawyers and scientists to undertake research that
gathers and presents spatial analysis in legal and political forums. We
provide evidence for international prosecution teams, political
organisations, NGOs, and the United Nations in various processes
worldwide. Additionally, the agency undertakes historical and
theoretical examinations of the history and present status of forensic
practices in articulating notions of public truth.
In other words, special effects experts and their tools - usually
employed in the creation of fictional movies for the entertainment
industry or for architectural firms to propose yet-to-exist projects -
are now being employed to fabricate evidence in a political context when
none in reality exists. (emphasis added)
While the work of "Forensic Architecture" may be of interest to
developing theories, it is by no means useful in providing actual
evidence - evidence being understood as an actual available
body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition
is true or valid - not a fabricated body of supposed facts or
information.
Image: Technology used for creating Hollywood dinosaurs and aliens, or an architectural proposal for a vacant lot, is now being used to fabricate evidence for politically motivated reports when no actual evidence exists.
The work of "Forensic Architecture" and the witness accounts gathered by
Amnesty International - all of which were admittedly gathered outside
of Syria - would form the basis of an initial inquiry, not a final
report nor the basis of a conclusion that human rights violations not
only took place, but that they constituted crimes against humanity and
demanded immediate international recourse.
Amnesty International's report lacked any actual evidence, with its
presentation consisting instead of admittedly fabricated images, sounds,
maps, and diagrams. Amnesty - lacking actual evidence - instead abused
its reputation and the techniques of classical deception to target and
manipulate audiences emotionally. What Amnesty International is engaged
in is not "human rights advocacy," but rather politically-motivated war
propaganda simply hiding behind such advocacy.
Exposing this technique of openly and shamelessly fabricating the
summation of an internationally released report - promoted
unquestioningly by prominent Western papers and media platforms,
including the BBC, CNN, the Independent, and others - prevents Amnesty
and other organizations like it from continuing to use the trappings of
science and engineering as cover to deliver monstrous lies to the
public.
Source: Land Destroyer Report
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