( CNN ) -- The rebel battalions and commanders battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad 's regime are signing a `` code of conduct '' pledging to refrain from torture and other human rights abuses , an opposition group said Wednesday . More than two dozen Free Syrian Army officials have signed the documents , just days after an uproar over reports that a unit called the Tawheed brigade claimed responsibility for executing pro-regime members of the Berri clan in Aleppo , the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said . Rafif Jouejati , the LCC English-language spokeswoman , said some of the content in the code had been in development for months by human rights experts and the LCC and FSA . But the work was accelerated in the wake of the executions last week , she said . The al-Assad regime has been widely condemned for torture and other human rights abuses . But as the rebel army has evolved , reports have surfaced of mistreatment by rebel fighters as well , including CNN 's own reporting on a rebel-run prison last week . The reported executions last week highlighted fears that rebels are intent on revenge killings and sectarian retribution . `` As the ranks of the Free Syrian Army expand and its brave fighters fight a national , multi-front battle , there has become a need for rules to govern their work . These rules must combine the spirit of the national duty they carry out today in facing the aggressor , Bashar Al-Assad and his regime , and moving towards the regime 's ouster and the interests of justice and military discipline , '' the LCC said . Read more : Syria timeline -- From uprising to civil war . The code says the rebel army will use weapons `` to overthrow the criminal regime that has been imposed upon us , '' but at the same time , it pledges to `` refrain from any behavior or practice that would undermine the principles of our revolution : the principles of freedom , citizenship , and dignity . `` I will respect human rights in accordance with our legal principles , our tolerant religious principles , and the international laws governing human rights -- the very human rights for which we struggle today and which we intend to implement in the future Syria , '' the code said . The pledge calls for shunning `` any form of torture , rape , mutilation , or degradation , '' preserving prisoners ' rights , rejecting `` physical torture or murder of prisoners or informants , '' and says army members should `` not participate in any public execution . '' Also , fighters who take the pledge vowed not to issue `` any executive orders , particularly with regard to death or corporal punishment '' and promised to heed the legal system to determine guilt or innocence of people . `` Any person who takes up arms in the name of the regime , regardless of their rank , should be arrested and remain in the custody of the Free Syrian Army . In the event that an individual is arrested , and it is determined that the individual was working for the regime , voluntarily or for payment , to supply information about revolutionary activists , that individual shall be considered a prisoner and treated in accordance with laws governing prisoners of war , '' the code said . The code says people should use their arms only to defend people in the fight . They should n't use weapons against activists or civilians , no matter what their opinions are , and not use weaponry against any Syrian citizens . It calls for shunning `` theft or looting on the pretext '' of `` helping to finance the armed struggle '' and taking people hostage for ransom . It also calls `` for a pledge not to exercise reprisals on the basis of ethnicity , sect , religion , or any other basis , and to refrain from any abusive practices , in word or in deed , against any component of the Syrian people . '' The fighters also have to pledge to surrender their weaponry to a `` Transitional Authority , which will manage the country 's affairs during the transitional period after the fall of the regime . '' People who violate the code also agree to submit to a fair trial `` under the supervision of the Free Syrian Army 's leadership and monitored by an independent judiciary body . '' The LCC said `` these ethics and principles represent the essence of our revolution and its moral and national foundation . '' There are nearly 30 `` initial signatories , '' including Lt. Col. Muhannad Ahmad Al-Talaa , commander of the Military Council of Deir Ezzor , Col. Qassim Saad Eddin , commander of the Military Council in Homs , and Capt . Ali Shakerdi of the al-Amjad Battalion in Aleppo .
NEW : LCC , FSA and human rights experts had been working for months on a code . NEW : The effort was accelerated after last week 's reports of executions . Nearly 30 commanders and battalions signed the pledge . The fighters vow to shun looting , sectarian violence , torture and public executions .