A/HRC/27/60 inhumane acts as crimes against humanity, as well as war crimes, continue to be committed by the Government. 2. (a) Non-State armed groups Anti-Government armed groups 61. Civilians from Nubl and Zahra (Aleppo), taken hostage by armed groups — including the Islamic Front and Jabhat al-Nusra — on 23 September 2013, suffered beatings while being held. Hostages were divided into different groups, with at least one group held in cold, damp conditions and provided with inadequate food. 62. On or around 9 April, unidentified armed groups advanced through Al-Zahra neighbourhood of Aleppo city. Residents were assaulted by fighters. One was beaten so badly on the soles of his feet that he was unable to walk for days. 63. Journalists, abducted in mid-2013 and released in 2014, suffered physical abuse at the hands of members of unidentified armed groups, some of whom appeared to be foreign fighters. One journalist was beaten on the soles of his feet and on his upper body, and was suspended by his wrists for several hours. Others were also severely beaten. 64. Armed groups have committed the war crime of torture and cruel treatment. The conditions of detention that hostages were held under constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. (b) Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham 65. Public squares have become the scene of amputations, lashings and mock crucifixion in Ar Raqqah governorate, as well as in Minbij (Aleppo). 66. In May, ISIS fighters dragged a man to Khodra square in Ar Raqqah city and amputated one of his hands as a punishment for theft. The amputation was improperly performed, causing immense suffering to the man and distress to the crowd who had been urged to watch. 67. Men have been lashed for smoking, possessing alcohol, trading during hours of prayer and failing to fast during Ramadan. In May, men were lashed publicly in El-Naim square in Ar Raqqah city, which lacerated their backs. Men were flogged for publicly accompanying an “improperly dressed” female relative. On 24 April in Ar Raqqah city, a man was beaten publicly after he and his wife were stopped by ISIS fighters because his wife’s face was uncovered. In some cases, victims were tied to a wooden board or crucifix and displayed publicly in the squares before being lashed. 68. Multiple accounts were received of women who had appeared in public with their faces uncovered being beaten with sticks by patrolling ISIS fighters. Women were publicly lashed on 26 and 30 April in Ar Raqqah city for failing to adhere to ISIS dress code regulations. Female members of ISIS sometimes administered the lashings. 69. ISIS fighters beat those held in its detention centres in Ar Raqqah and Aleppo governorates during interrogations. Beatings included whipping detainees with cables. Former detainees in ISIS detention facilities in Ar Raqqah governorate reported being held in overcrowded, insect-infested cells. The cells had neither light nor bedding. Detainees received inadequate food and were not permitted to communicate with anyone outside the facility. 70. According to ISIS, the use of corporal punishment — amputation and lashing — is based on religious law. Investigations are ongoing regarding the operations of sharia courts and the due process rights afforded to defendants. The use of such punishments has been 11