( CNN ) -- People arrested amid unrest in Syria are being subjected to systematic torture , including electric shocks , beatings and sexual violence , a report by rights group Amnesty International said Wednesday . Based on interviews in Jordan with dozens of Syrians who have fled the country , the report details `` 31 methods of torture or other ill treatment '' at the hands of the security forces , army and pro-government armed gangs . This Thursday marks a year since unrest first broke out , prompting a bloody crackdown and massive wave of arrests by the Syrian authorities . The government says it is battling `` armed terrorist groups '' but international leaders and rights groups dispute that . The torture meted out to those arrested on suspicion of opposing the government has generally followed a set pattern , says the Amnesty International report , titled `` ' I wanted to die ' : Syria 's torture survivors speak out . '' Many detainees say they were beaten on arrest , and then subjected to severe beatings on arrival at detention centers . But their accounts show the greatest risk of abuse came when they were interrogated , the report says . Several detainees describe being forced into a vehicle tire and then beaten with cables or sticks , the report says . Others tell of being suspended above the ground by their wrists and then beaten , and of being forced to strip naked , often for long periods in extreme cold . An 18-year-old victim named as `` Karim '' told researchers that his interrogators used pincers to gouge flesh from his legs while he was held for 25 days in Daraa in December . Another man , a 29-year-old Arabic language teacher identified as `` Musleh , '' also described horrific treatment while being held in Daraa . `` We were hung from wood -- crucified -- while blindfolded and handcuffed , and then beaten mercilessly and repeatedly between 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. , '' he told the Amnesty researchers . Detainees also were forced to witness abuse and hear others -- sometimes relatives or friends -- being tortured and raped , the report says . `` I heard the screams of those being tortured for 24 hours a day . While in the cell we were busy praying for the safety of those who are being tortured , '' Musleh is quoted as saying . The accounts reveal `` a nightmarish world of systematic torture , '' said Ann Harrison , interim deputy director for Amnesty International 's Middle East and North Africa program . `` The testimonies we have heard give disturbing insights into a system of detention and interrogation which , a year after protests began , appears intended primarily to degrade , humiliate and terrify its victims into silence , '' she said . She said the experience for detainees arrested over the past year is similar to that endured under former President Hafez Assad , father of the current leader , Bashar al-Assad . Researchers spoke with dozens of Syrians in Jordan , including 25 who said they were tortured or ill-treated in detention before fleeing the country , an Amnesty press statement says . More than half the 19 cases featured in the report are from Daraa province , it adds . The abuses are being routinely carried out despite Syria being a party to the Convention against Torture and other international agreements , the report says , and the Syrian authorities `` appear to have no desire to try to stamp out these grave human rights violations . '' The rights group urges Syria to take `` urgent measures '' to prevent further crimes under international law , including ending the arbitrary arrest and detention of those protesting peacefully against the government and halting the systemic use of torture . It also calls on the international community to take on responsibility for protecting the human rights of the Syrian people and ensuring violations are investigated and prosecuted . International leaders should also assist humanitarian agencies , rights groups and non-governmental organizations in helping the survivors of torture and their families , particularly in cases of sexual violence . Lastly , the report urges the U.N. Security Council to act by referring the situation to the International Criminal Court for investigation , imposing a comprehensive arms embargo and freezing the assets of al-Assad and his associates . Russia and China vetoed a Security Council resolution last month that many other countries argued could have helped stop the violence . The resolution would have condemned al-Assad and called on him to step aside . More than 8,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict , including many women and children , Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser , current president of the U.N. General Assembly , said Tuesday . Opposition activists have put the toll at more than 9,000 . About 30,000 Syrians have fled to neighboring countries in the past year , according to Panos Moumtzis , the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees ' coordinator for Syrian refugees . CNN can not independently confirm reports of casualties or attacks in Syria because the government has severely restricted the access of international journalists . But most reports from inside Syria indicate the regime is slaughtering civilians to wipe out dissidents seeking al-Assad 's ouster . The al-Assad family has ruled Syria for more than four decades . Members of the Syrian security forces are also among those killed as the initially peaceful protests have spiraled into widespread violence . CNN 's Bruce Conover contributed to this report .
Syrian survivors describe brutal treatment by security forces , Amnesty International says . Beatings , electric shocks and sexual violence are widely used in interrogations , detainees say . The testimonies are further evidence of crimes against humanity in Syria , Amnesty says . Comment: