A man has reportedly been blindfolded and thrown off a tower block in Syria for ‘being gay’ before being stoned to death after surviving the fall.
New images have emerged appearing to show ISIS militants hurling the man off the seven-storey building in the town of Tal Abyad in Raqqa.
The man, who was supposedly being punished for having a ‘homosexual affair’, apparently survived the fall, but was stoned to death by a waiting crowd at the foot of the tower block.
Footage shows the man sat on a plastic chair, while blindfolded, before being thrown off the tower block
It is believed the man was hurled from the building, at least seven storeys high, as punishment for ‘being gay’
The man appeared to survive the fall, but was reportedly stoned to death by a waiting crowd at the bottom
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, claims the man was thrown from the building before being beaten to death.
Photographs of the incident appear to show the man – who is thought to be in his 50s – sat on a white, plastic chair while blindfolded.
He is surrounded by at least two masked militants, who are dressed in black clothing and army fatigues.
The man is then thrown from the top of the tower block and one photograph shows him falling towards the ground, head first.
It is believed a ‘judgement’ was read aloud before he was thrown, which condemned his sexuality and claimed he should be thrown from the highest point of the city as punishment.
After falling to the ground, the man can then be seen sat at the foot of the building, having apparently survived the fall.
One photograph shows another man, dressed in army fatigues and carrying a portable radio, seemingly checking on the man’s condition.
An aerial photograph then shows the waiting crowd forming a circle around the injured man before hurling rocks and stones at him. It is understood he died from his injuries.
Shocking pictures of the execution, which were posted on Live Leak, are the latest to emerge of the horrific killing of men in Syria.
Last month, two men were hurled from the top of a tower block and two others were crucified in front of a baying crowd as part of a ‘brutal punishment’ for being gay.
And in December last year, photos emerged on social media showing a man, accused of being homosexual, being thrown to his death from a rooftop by eight ISIS fighters.
The crowd appeared to surround the man before beating him with stones until he fell unconscious
Aerial photographs show crowds gathering at the foot of the tower block, which the man was thrown from
During the same month, ISIS – also known as Islamic State or ISIL – released a document on social media, explaining the rules of its ‘penal code’, which is being brutally enforced across ISIS-held territory in Syria and Iraq.
Entitled ‘Clarification [regarding] the Hudud’, the document contains a list of the punishments handed out for crimes committed in the Islamic State, in accordance with the extremist group’s radical interpretation of Shariah law.
All punishments are carried out after a ‘trial’ at an Islamic State court and, after the sentencing, the prisoner is taken into the centre of the town or city.
Men and young boys of all ages are actively encouraged to gather and watch the punishments.
An ISIS fighter then reads out the charges found against the victim before the punishment is carried out in public.
All forms of blasphemy against Islam are punished by execution, even if the accuser chooses to repent of their sins. Likewise, committing murder, spying, apostasy or sodomy is punished by immediate death.
Anyone found guilty of banditry, specifically murder and stealing, is put to death by crucifixion.
According to Islamic State’s reading of Shariah law, thieves have a hand cut off. It is unclear whether the victim can choose which hand is removed.
Flogging is another common punishment carried out under Islamic State.
According to the document, 80 lashes of the whip is given to anyone who drinks alcohol or is found guilty of committing slander. Normally the whipping is not carried out on bare skin.
The punishment of stoning, where heavy rocks are thrown or piled on top of the victim, is ordered for any married man or woman who has committed adultery.
A hundreds lashes and immediate exile is given to any man or woman who has sex outside of marriage.
