Is Syria sliding into a sectarian civil war?   The current estimate is that 3,500 people have been killed so far.   Syria has several religious groups: Sunni Muslims, Christians and Alawites (an offshoot of Shiite Islam regarded as heterodox) are the most common.  The government of Bashar Assad (inherited from his father) are Alawite.  The Alawites are coming under attack because of this.

Here is a story from The New York Times,

I just heard it on the news. Syria might be using torture in its prisons - which hold ten thousand prisoners. (US prisons hold a more reasonable 2.4 million).

Now, we will no doubt hear that NATO must intervene for humanitarian reasons, just as it did in Libya. The world cannot allow torture by foreigners. Stephen Harper will rally us to the cause.

You remember Stephen. He's the one who allowed the US to "render" at least to Canadians to Syria where they could be tortured by the CIA.