March 2011 to May 2013
Report prepared by Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR )
Introduction:
Based on the efforts of its investigation and documentation team, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) consistently documented human rights violations in Syria according to the international standards generally recognized in the description. Verification and investigation of all human rights violations in Syria was conducted by a team of unique independent human rights activists with no political or ideological trend. Their main job is to document human rights violations in Syria based on the testimonies of victims of such violations or eyewitnesses; relatives of the victims themselves or people existing at the time and place of the violation. In many cases, they depend on the testimonies of medical staff in various areas of Syria who are continuously witnessing the horrible and terrifying human rights violations in Syria.
It should be mentioned that the work mechanism of Syrian Network for Human Rights’ Group is based on a precise verification and documentation method, and on our members deployed in the Syrian territory to gather facts and record written testimonies, live images and videos, oral and registered interviews audio and video interviews so as to complement the efforts exerted to document human rights violations under the restrictions imposed by the Syrian government on the network members as well as the arrest and assassination of any of them if direct or indirect relation with the network was recognized. This reflects on serious and frequent losses of the network’s activists while doing their duty in Syrian territory.
SNHR documentation policy depends on documents being named from at least two different sources unconnected with each other, and does not issue any statistic without supported files containing very precise details of each death case, fully identified by the name of the victim, as well as the date and location of death.
By these standards, SNHR has been adopted as one of the most important resources in UN statistics for the victims of the Syrian conflicts, and in its famous statistics at the beginning of this year, which stated the killing of 60.000 Syrian citizens, as well as adopted as the main source for many news agencies and space stations
SNHR documented civilian casualties in addition to free army victims as a result of the possibility to apply the network’s criteria in documentation and verification, this criteria can’t be applied to Syrian Government’s Armed Forces kills because of the prosecution, ban and restrictions on such documentation.
Since the first moment of the Popular Syrian Revolution against the rule of Bashar Al-Assad, Syrian Security Forces and Syrian Government’s Armed Forces accompanied with Shabiha handled the civilian protestors with excessive violence, arrested hundreds and killed dozens of them. Not a day goes by without documenting the death of civilian victims or the arrest of female or male activists. They have even killed a large number of them.
Since the early days of the revolution, Syrian government’s Armed forces used different kinds of weapons against the Syrian people. They used live bullets, after a while the Syrian army came down to the cities and towns and started to shell it using tanks, then they used air forces: helicopters. Then warplanes, Scud missiles and unguided weapons such as mortars, TNT, which was dropped by warplanes, along with the use of international prohibited poisonous gases in 14 cites.
This was a deliberate gradual escalation by the Syrian government to monitor the reaction of the international community and Security Council. This led to an increase in the level of escalation and the international silence on the crimes committed by them.
Contents:
First: violations against children
Second: violations against women
Third: violations against medical staffs
Fourth: violations against media activists
Fifth: torture and torture to death victims
Report’s Details :
Since Syria’s uprising began in March 2011 as to May 15, 2013, SNHR documented at least the killing of 80,159 people, distributed to 75,992 civilians (91% civilian victims), 7,606 Syrian Free Army (9% fighter brigades), Among the civilians: 7,686 women, 8,329 children, and 2,441 tortured to death.
(On the following link to the official website of SNHR , you can find all names and details of the victims )
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9Bj18tlYYKBekZfYlBJQXRadDA/edit?usp=sharing
As a reference, this is what we were able to document by name, location, photo, and video within the available possibilities under the embargo and censorship imposed by the Syrian Government, although our estimation suggests that the real number of victims could reach twice, up to nearly a quarter million.
In Syria, a civilian is killed by Syrian Government’s Armed Troops every eight hours, with a daily average of 135 civilians
Every two hours a child is killed
Every three hours a woman is killed
(chart #1 :The following chart shows the distribution of the 83,598 victims on the Syrian governorates)
First: Violations against children
Syrian Government’s Armed Forces killed 8,329 children, including 82 children who were arrested and tortured to death. The proportion of child victims is 9%, which is a very high figure and indicates the deliberate targeting and systematic killing of civilians. In addition, the number of child detainees is near 9,000 children.
(chart #2 :The following chart shows the distribution of the 8329 victims on the Syrian governorates)Most prominent child victims’ names during the revolution.
Child Hamza Al-Khatib
13 years old, who went out of his hometown Jiza’/Daraa to join the protests launched to lift the siege imposed on the people of Daraa, was arrested at Syrian security forces’ checkpoint near Sidon housing in Daraa 29/4/2011. After few days, his body was delivered to his family. It showed signs of cruel torture and distortion.
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Infant: Afaf Mahmoud Alsrakbi
Four month-old infant from Karm El-Zeitoun/Homs, was tortured in front of her parents in order to pressure them. She died after torture on 10/1/2012 and her body was handed over to her uncle, her body showed signs of torture. Her parents were still detained until now.
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/afaf.jpg
Infant: Majd Abo Allaban
There was a peaceful demonstration in Alwaar/Homs, where the baby lived. His father was carrying him on the Balcony during its occurrence, when security forces and Syrian Government’s Armed Forces used wide range live bullets resulting in the death of the two.
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Girl: Ryan Al-Ghamyan
A sniper of the Syrian government army targeted a civilian car carrying Ryan and her mother during their displacement from the city of Daraa on 08/07/2012, killing her on her mother’s lap.
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/rayan.jpg
Second: violations against women
Syrian Government’s Armed Forces killed 7,686 women, including 24 women who were arrested and tortured to death. Among the female victims, 2,507 were children. The proportion of female victims is 9%, which is a very high figure and indicates the deliberate targeting and systematic killing of the civilians. The number of women detainees is almost 6,500, and more than 5,000 women were raped by Syrian Government’s Armed Forces.
(chart #3 :The following chart shows the distribution of the 7686 women victims on the Syrian governorates)
Syrian female victims killed by Syrian Government’s Armed Forces:
Engineer Nada Al-Masry
She appears in the following photo with her son Abdullah Tarsha, they were killed by Syrian government’s Armed forces on 27/1/2012 when an armored of the military forces shot their car
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/nada.jpg
Ms. Fatima Khosrf
She was killed with her infant Abdul Majid Khalid Al Kassim, when Syrian government forces shelled Al Eastern Boaida village in Homs , 04/09/2012
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Sisters Alaa and Israa Tohma
Eng. Isaraa Toham, with her sister Alaa, was killed in Bosraa Alsham by a sniper bullet when they were crossing the street in 18/11/2012
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/alaa.jpg
Razan Al-Qasis
She was killed because of random shelling by Syrian Government’s Armed Forces on Bloudan/Damascus countryside. She was married and had two children who were wounded by shelling in 13/08/2012; one of her children’s foot was amputated.
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/razan.jpg
Female victims arrested by Syrian Government’s Armed Forces:
Jumana Abdul Hakim
First year Civil Engineer, she was arrested in 15/5/2012 by air security forces who stormed the campus.
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Rama Yasser Al-Asas
Born in Damascus 1/4/1986,
An arrest warrant was issued by the Palestine Branch against her, whice is why she was forced to escape until 27/08/2012, when she was ambushed by the security men who requested a ransom to release her. Even after paying two millions Syrian pounds, all contact channels with her were cut and no one knows anything about her.
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Third : violations against medical staffs:
Syrian Network for Human Rights documented 245 medical staff-victims including:
113 Physicians of various specializations
42 pharmacists
67 paramedics, 23 of them who were working for the Syrian Red Crescent
5 women who worked in medical staff killed
The execution of 7 medical staff in field hospitals is clear evidence for being systematically targeted by Syrian Government’s Armed Forces. The forces stormed the field hospitals and killed wounded people and the doctors who were treating them. We have 4 cases accurately documented the different regions. Most shockingly, Syrian Government’s Armed Forces arrested at least 3,000 of medical staff, and 18 of them were tortured to death.
Most prominent physician victims:
Dr. Mohamed Nur Maktaby
Air Forces Intelligence in Aleppo arrested him for more than five months while he was helping the wounded and injured people in field hospitals, which the Syrian government considers a serious charge. He was tortured violently and systematically killed. His body was delivered to his family on 15/11 /2012. Dr. Nur was married and has 5 children
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Khaldoun Al-Sawah
A field doctor from Khalidia, Homs, he provided medical services in the hardest conditions, he excelled in giving first aid and saving lives. He moved from Rastan, to Zafarana, to Karm Al Zeitoun to Deir Balaba and was killed by Syrian Government’s Armed Forces on 05/04/2012, while he was examining a girl who was shot by a bullet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRUKSumwXEc
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/khaldon.jpg
Dr. Ahmed Al-Fattih
He is from Deir Elzzor. He effectively contributed in providing first aid to the injured and wounded people. He also participated in the establishment of field hospitals in various districts of Damascus. He was moving to Mademya Asham and Darya to heal the wounded people until his death on 28/11/2012 by Syrian Military Forces when they targeted his car in Mademya./ Damascus
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Dr. Isa Ajaj
A political activist, he opposed the regime before the revolution; he was arrested several times on charges related to his political views. He was fired from Daraa National Hospital upon a decision by the Intelligence. Following the outbreak of the revolution, he was arrested twice by the Air Force Intelligence for the treatment of wounded people in the demonstrations. He was severely tortured, and threatened to be executed by Syrian Intelligence Forces if he continued to treat the wounded people. They assassinated him when he was leaving his house in Daraa on 1/9/2012.
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/issa.jpg
Detained Doctors:
Dr. Omar Mohamed Mamoun Arnous (dentist), his wife Dr. Maria Jawkhaddar and his child (two years and half) were arrested without any charge on Sunday 7/10/2012. He is a relief activist, Master degree, teaching in a private university in Damascus, preparing for PhD
Personal photo for Dr. Omar
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/omar.jpg
Dr. Mohamed Bachir Arab
A laboratory doctor born in 1980, sole son of his mother, former detainee in 2004 for 11 months, where he was tried before the Supreme State Security Court because of his activities with the students at the University of Aleppo. Following the breakout of the Syrian revolution, Mohammed Arab participated in field activities like peaceful demonstrations and others. He was chased for a long time and lived for six months using several nicknames. He was arrested on 01/11/2011 with his colleagues, and there were certain news that he was tortured systematically and severely led to make him entre Al-Mojtahid Hospital, Damascus on 12th of January where he died.
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/mohdarab.jpg
Most prominent victims of paramedics:
Hakm Drak Al-Sibai
Hakm Hatem Drak Al-Sibai, a young man of 27 years, a graduate of Business Administration, and the sole son of his parents. He volunteered at the Red Crescent and conducted courses on first aids and psychological rehabilitation.
He was wounded on 9/7/2012 while providing first aid to a wounded person in Bustan Al-Diwan/Homs , where Syrian Government’s Armed Forces shot the ambulance; he was injured by 9 bullets and died one week later.
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Ziad Abu Salah
Ziad Abdel Qader Abu Salah, a resident in Khaldiya, he is under 16 years, one of the youngest Red Crescent volunteers. He was killed as a result of random shelling of Khalidiya neighborhood, he was providing first aid to the wounded people on the 4th of February 2012.
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The most prominent detainees of paramedics:
Sultan Jamal Sultan
A young man born in 1989, from Al-Qariatin in Homs, a graduate of Dentistry Faculty with exemplary grades, a Red Crescent medic and trainer, he was arrested in 23/9/2011 while he was going to perform his duty for the Red Crescent in Al-Fakhoura, where he lives, taking into account that he suffers from respiratory problems (asthma attacks).
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/soltan.jpg
Jihad Hakmi
Jihad was arrested at a checkpoint near to the Cultural Center in Homs, on 11/5/2012 while he was on his way to rescue injured people. So far he is still detained.
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/jihad.jpg
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Osama Almudbak
Paramedic Osama Almudbak was arrested in the city of Damascus in 29/7/2012, the network confirmed that he was arrested for being a member of the Syrian Red Crescent, and is providing medical care for wounded people.
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Mahmoud Khabiah and Imad Al-Haja
The two paramedics Mahmoud Khbaih and Imad Al-Haja, from the of city Doma, were arrested on 2/12/2012 during an official mission for the Syrian Red Crescent, and are still being held so far.
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/mahmoud.jpg
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/imad.jpg
Fourth: violations against media activists
Syrian Network for Human Rights, through our monitoring, noted that the Syrian Government considers media activists and medical staffs as the most dangerous. So it persecutes them vigorously, and when they get arrested, they are exposed to a very cruel way even more than other detainees.
The Syrian network documented, since the beginning of the Syrian revolution and to this date, the killing of 162 media professionals documented by name, photo, place, and date and how they were killed. Including:
7 journalist who were arrested and tortured to death; 3 women; and 10 foreign journalists.
Following link contains all the needed details
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9Bj18tlYYKBS195cFlWUE4wVmM/edit
(chart #4 :The following chart shows the distribution of the 162 media victims on the Syrian governorates)
Most Prominent media activist’s victims
Basil Shehadeh
A well known movie director, he was studying at Syracuse University in the United States, he returned to Syria in order to participate in the peaceful movement against the government. He was arrested when he was participating in one of the demonstrations in Damascus by the Intelligence forces in Damascus, and then released. He used his camera to document the attacks of the Syrian army on city of Homs’ neighborhoods. He was killed on 29/5/2012 in Safsafa neighborhood in Homs after it shelled by the Syrian Government’s Armed Forces.
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/basel.jpg
Rami Al-Saied
A revolutionary prominent media activist in Homs, where he was filming the live broadcast of the demonstrations, he was documenting the victims of the Syrian Government’s Armed Forces’ shelling; those killed and wounded along with abuses against civilians. He was killed near a blockade in the Bab Amr neighborhood cause of heavy shelling by the Syrian government’s Armed forces in 21/2/2012.
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/rami.jpg
Tamer Al-Awaam
A film director and political activist from Al-Swidaa. He made many documentaries about the Syrian Revolution activities, the most prominent was “Memories at the Checkpoint.” He died cause of shell shrapnel from the random shelling on Radio neighborhood in Aleppo by Syria Government’s Armed Forces in 9/9/2012.
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Mary Colvin
An American journalist, works for the British Sunday Times Newspaper. She was killed in 22/02/2012 as a result of targeting the Media Center for Bab Amr neighborhood in Homs by Syrian Government’s Armed Forces. Thus, Mary was killed with her French photographer colleague Remi Ochlik.
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Remi Ochlik
A French photographer. He worked in all the Arab Spring countries in 2011. He witnessed the Tunisian and the Egyptian Revolutions, then the war in Libya. His startling photos which were full of humanity were published in Paris Match,Time Magazines, and in The Wall Street Journal. He was awarded the first prize for the young photographers in the “Visa Pour L’Image” photojournalism festival. He was killed with his colleague the journalist Mary Colvin in Homs, Bab Amr neighborhood in 22/2/2012.
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/rimi.jpg
Mika Yamamoto
A Japanese journalist. A pioneer in the field of video journalism, she was awarded many prizes, worked for the Independent Media Group (Japan Press). She was killed by shelling by the Syrian Government’s Armed Forces while fulfilling her media duty in covering the current events there in 21/08/2012.
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/mika.jpg
Media Activist in Prisons
Mazen Darwish
A journalist, a member in the International Federation of Journalists, the founder and the head of “The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression.” He was arrested in 16/2/2012 after breaking into the center by the Air Force Intelligence Forces. He was still arrested even though he was not accused of any crime. He suffered from several health problems.
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/mazen.jpg
Activist, Ali Othman:
One of the most famous media activists in Homs. He participated in documenting tens of crimes and violations against the Syrian citizens. One of his most famous and important works was the first video for shelling when he commented: “Baba Amr is being shelled, where are you Arabs?”
He was arrested in 28/3/2012 by military security branch in Al-Bab neighborhood/Aleppo. He was then sent to the military security branch to the end in Palestine branch after only days from being arrested, and he is still alive so far.
http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/ali.png
Fifth : tortured to death victims
Syrian Government’s Armed Troops arrested at least 194,000 Syrian citizens, including nearly 9,000 under the age of 18, 4,500 women ( 1200 of them are female colleague students) and 35,000 male colleague students, according to the last survey conducted by Syrian Network for Human Rights.
70,000 of the detainees are enforced disappearance
Syrian Government’s Armed Troops systematically and intentionally violated these laws and international conventions using violence torture methods against detainees, which led to kill 2,441 Syrian citizens under torture, including 82 children, 24 women, 51 aged (more than 60 years old), and 107 armed rebels (less than 5% of the toll victims under torture).
SNHR noticed the increase of the frequency in torture and deaths by torture in the last four months, which led to the increase in the number of victims tortured to death since the Syrian uprise to unprecedented high levels.
April 2013: the highest rate of torturing to death occurred in this month, 186 civilians were killed under torture, an average of 5 civilians every day.
(chart #5 :The following chart shows the distribution of the victims who tortured to death in security branches per month)
There is a high number of cases for those who were tortured to death, we were unable to document this because of restrictions and deprivation of work in the Syrian territory. This means the real number could be far greater, especially since there are prisons who torture people to death and then throw the bodies in vacant land or in rivers, so it will decompose and disintegrate and blur the crime.
(chart #6 :The following chart shows the distribution of the 2441 tortured to death victims on the Syrian governorates)
There are 42 methods documenting torturing methods that claimed the lives of 2,441 citizens, divided into three positions:
First: torture methods: SNHR documented 9 positions
Second: Various kinds of torturing ( 22 cases )
Third: Psychological torture (12 cases)
First: torture methods : SNHR could document 9 positions
1- Ghost Technique (Shabeh position): hanging victims to bathroom ceiling from the wrists while they stand on a chair, then taking the chair away so the victim will stand on the ground by his/ her big toe.
Another case of Shabeh, known as fly ghost, where they tightened one of his/her feet with the victim’s hand using the same rope for many hours and even a day or two, causing hands to inflate or even cut
2- Tire position (Dulab) the victim is forced to bend at the waist and stick his head, neck, legs and sometimes arms into the inside of a car tire, then start beating him on different parts of his body
3- Flying Carpet position (Basat Al-reeh) involves tying the victim down to a two sections flat so that the detainee’s hands and feet get tied to the front and back of the plank, and his face on the ground of it. Then, the front side of the plank is lifted as to fold it so that the body of the detainee gets folded until his head touches his feet. This leads to a dangerous stretch in the ligaments and nerves of the spine, which results the most dreadful kind of pain a person can suffer from. Meanwhile, another person is beating the detainee.
4- Crucify: the hands and legs of the detainee are tightened like a crucified person then he/she is beaten specifically on the genitals
5- Hanging: the hands are tied behind the back, then the detainee is hanged up and beaten with sticks and wires.
6- Smashing, where a detainee’s head is placed between the wall and the door of the prison, the door is closed on the head of the detainee.
7- Electrocution: a metal chair, the detainee is seated on it, then they put on the electric current.
8- Electric shocks to various parts of body
9- The German chair ( Al-kursi al-Almani ): a metal chair with moving parts to which the victim is tied by their hands and feet. The backrest of the chair bends backwards causing acute hyperextension of the spine and severe pressure on the victims neck and limbs
Second : Various kinds of torturing ( 22 cases )
1- Using all methods of beating on all body parts by different tools such as stake and electric cables, called colloquially ( Robai ), to beat on the soles and tread on the head.
2- Completely uprooting fingernails.
3- Removing hair from different parts of the body
4- Cutting out flesh by forceps from sensitive organs
5- Rapping male and female detainees
6- Forcing the detainee to rape his/her cell mate
7- Cutting out some parts of the detainee body; such as finger, flesh, or stabbing in the back or stomach
8- Burning detainees’ skin with chemical acids or cigarettes.
9- exposing the detainee after being forced to take off all clothes and covers to extreme cold.
10- depriving the detainee from medical care totally as there is a lack of medical care in large number of prisons.
11- Preventing the detainee to use the toilet but once or twice a day, forcing him/her sometimes to urinate on himself/herself. If the detainee is allowed to use toilet, the period may not exceed a minute. The detainee is also prevented from taking shower, going out and breathing fresh air.
12-Keeping a large number of detainees in a small cell (keeping 45 detainees in a 15 meter cell, Air Force Intelligence, Aleppo).
13-Pouring cold water over the body after being hit and wounded.
14-Cracking ribs.
15-insufficient amount of water and food which are not enough for a quarter of detainees.
16-Standing up on foot and hung up from hands for successive days.
17- Using underground cells without ventilation.
18-Pouring boiling oil or water over legs
19-Cutting the ear using the clipper used to trim the trees.
20-Stressing ears and nose using mallet.
21-Hanging up and then tying something heavy to the penis.
22-Electric shocking, specialy in breasts, knees, and elbows.
Third: Psychological torture (14 cases):
SNHR documented the most systematic and practice 14 cases:
1- Forcing the detainee to watch his/her mate being raped.
2- Threatening the detainee that they will rape him/ her .
3- Force the detainee to watch his/her mates tortured and tortured to death.
4- Threatening the detainee with arresting his wife, mother or sister and rapping or torturing her in front of his eyes then make him see naked femal detainees in the prison.
5- Threatening the detainee of torturing to death or slaughtering with knifes.
6- Offending and assaulting the detainee`s religious beliefs.
7- Putting male and female detainees in the same prison and in some cases strip them in front of the executioners
8- Putting detainees in the same cell
with a dying person
9- Putting detainee with dead person in the same cell
10- Assaulting the detainee and his family with obscene insults
11-Forcing the detainee to admit crimes he did not commit with the threat of doubling the torture.
12-Commanding the detainee to prostrate for Assad`s portrait.
13-Deluding the detainee that he/she is going to be released and opening the cell’s door, then bringing him/her back for torture.
14-Taking the detainee to the prison’s doctor for treatment. The doctor hits him/her on the painful part, then the detainee is taken back to be re-tortured. So that none ask again for doctor.
Finally, the Syrian Network for Human Rights wants to confirm its constant belief that the violations against human rights in Syria is to be classified as crimes against humanity, which necessitates the referral of all the responsible to The International Criminal Court without any delay cause of the political interests of the major countries in the Security Council. What have took place and is still taking place in Syria now are atrocities deserve to be referred to The International Criminal Court to be investigated in the same way that was during the Libyan Revolution during two weeks only. This hasn’t been yet done despite the expiration of twenty six months or more of the flagrant violations against human rights in Syria.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights emphasizes its constant and deep-rooted readiness, through its members of experts in investigating, documenting and following up, to cooperate with the investigators of The International Criminal Court to present everyone contributed by giving orders or committing crimes of violation against human rights in Syria to a fair hearing which could avenge for those who suffered and are still suffering in Syria from the injustice, absolutism and pain of violating their human rights which were guaranteed by the international legitimacy for human rights, and which the International Legitimacy that is mired in dubious silence hasn’t yet seen.
