Protesters Describe Torture by Syrian Security Forces As my colleagues Alan Cowell and Sebnem Arsu explain, Human Rights Watch accused the Syrian authorities of the systematic torture of opposition activists in a new report released on Tuesday. The rights group also posted excerpts from four video interviews online, in which former detainees, one of them a 14-year-old boy, described the abuse they said they were subjected to by the security forces. The report - which was also made available in Russian, to address a nation that has offered crucial support to Mr. Assad - includes a map showing the locations of 27 government detention centers where torture was reported by former prisoners and the names of officials said to be in charge of many of the facilities.