You want freedom? This is your freedom: rape as a tactic of the Assad regime

Interview with Marie Forestier. In its attempt to crush the revolution and remain in power, the Assad regime has resorted to every possible tactic, from torture to enforced disappearance, and from indiscriminate bombings to the use of chemical weapons. Sexual violence against women, and especially rape, has been no exception. In a working paper for the LSE Centre for Women, Peace and Security, Marie Forestier presents her research findings based on more than 70 interviews with 20 survivors of rape, dozens of former detainees, dozens of doctors, lawyers, activists and humanitarian workers, as well as three defectors from the regime security apparatus.