Sick video appears to show Syrian rebel eating dead soldier's heart

Published May 14, 2013

FoxNews.com

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  A newly surfaced video shows a Syrian Rebel leader eating what appears to be a human heart.

A new video purportedly from the Syrian battlefield appears to show a wild-eyed rebel chomping into the heart of a dead enemy soldier and delivering an animated warning to the army of President Bashar al-Assad. 

U.S.-based Human Rights Watch identified the rebel as Abu Sakkar, a well-known rebel leader from the city of Homs, according to BBC News. The video, which surfaced on the Internet on Sunday but could not be authenticated, shows the man looming over a dead soldier, cutting out his heart and exclaiming: "I swear to God we will eat your hearts and your livers, you soldiers of Bashar the dog."

Human Rights Watch identified Abu Sakkar as the leader of the Independent Omar al-Farouq Brigade.

"The desecration and mutilation of a killed person is definitely a war crime," Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director of Human Rights Watch, told the BBC. "This one is particularly disturbing because of the sectarian nature of the language used by Abu Sakkar."

Bouckaert said Sakkar has previously been videotaped firing rockets into Shia areas of Lebanon and posing with the bodies of Hezbollah guerrillas killed fighting alongside Syrian government forces.

"Abu Sakkar is a very significant commander -- he's in charge of one of the most important battles happening in Syria right now," said Bouckaert. "The danger is that extremists on both sides will feel the need to respond in kind."

The video was originally posted on Sunday, but reporters from Time magazine said they had first viewed the footage in April, adding that Abu Sakkar confirmed that he had bitten into one of the soldier's organs.

Sakkar’s act is considered a war crime.

The ICC’s Rome Statute prohibits any mutilation of dead bodies which includes “humiliating, degrading, or otherwise violating the dignity of a dead body” and requires that, “each party to the conflict must take all possible measures to prevent the dead from being despoiled.”

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Rebel Wilson outfit, Aubrey Plaza stage rush the talk of MTV Movie Awards

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  April 14, 2013: Host Rebel Wilson and the cast of "Pitch Perfect" perform onstage at the MTV Movie Awards in Sony Pictures Studio Lot in Culver City, Calif. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision /AP)AP/Invision

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  April 14, 2013: Actress Selena Gomez arrives at the MTV Movie Awards in Sony Pictures Studio Lot in Culver City, Calif. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision for MTV)AP/Invision

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  April 12, 2013: Photo provided by MTV, Selena Gomez poses before rehearsing for the MTV Movie Awards, in Burbank, Calif.AP/MTV

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LOS ANGELES –  With a cast of superheroes and villains, "The Avengers" beat out its competitors to become the big winner at the MTV Movie Awards.

The action romp won three awards Sunday, including the top prize, movie of the year.

"What's the opposite of humbled? We're Biebered to be standing here," said "Avengers" writer-director Joss Whedon as he accepted the final golden popcorn trophy. "This is the award that means the most to me. I am so grateful and very excited for 2015; we're going to bring you `Avengers 2."'

"The Avengers" also won best fight and best villain for actor Tom Hiddleston.

Bradley Cooper and show host Rebel Wilson were each double winners at the ceremony at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Calif. Cooper won the first prize of the night for his performance in "Silver Linings Playbook" and returned to the stage to accept best kiss honors for his smooch with co-star Jennifer Lawrence in that film.

Lawrence, who won the Oscar for her role in "Playbook," was also a double winner, though she wasn't on hand Sunday. In addition to the kiss award, she won the golden popcorn for her performance, but the prize wasn't presented on camera.

Wilson, who opened and closed the show wearing Iron Man-style armor, won breakthrough performance for her work in "Pitch Perfect" and shared in the film's award for best musical moment. Its stars, including Brittany Snow and Skylar Astin, opened the show with a mash-up medley.

Other musical acts were Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Selena Gomez, who debuted her new song, "Come and Get It," with a Bollywood-inspired performance.

The MTV Movie Awards are as much about the anticipated movies of the upcoming summer season as they are about the finest films of last year. Fans vote online for the winners in traditional and irreverent categories such as best fight, best kiss and best shirtless performance.

"Twilight" heartthrob Taylor Lautner won the shirtless award.

The show also included new footage from next month's "Iron Man 3" and the world premiere of "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" trailer, introduced by one of its stars, Liam Hemsworth.

Stars from other summer films-- including Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana and Zachary Quinto from the "Star Trek" sequel and Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez from the "Fast & Furious" franchise -- appeared as presenters during the ceremony.

Other presenters included Brad Pitt, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Snoop Dogg/Lion and Kim Kardashian.

Hollywood has increasingly used the fan-driven MTV Movie Awards as a platform to promote its summer product. This year, the show was moved up from June to April to incorporate the entire blockbuster season, which begins in early May.

Honorees and presenters represent upcoming movies, and the ceremony is typically peppered with commercials for forthcoming films and DVD releases.

Emma Watson, a star of this summer's "The Bling Ring," received the Trailblazer Award.

Will Ferrell wore a three-piece suit covered in dollar bills to accept the Comedic Genius Award from "Game of Thrones" star Peter Dinklage.

"For those of you sitting here tonight who don't think I'm funny, I'll be happy to fight you in the parking lot after the show," said Ferrell, who is currently at work on "Anchorman 2," slated for release later this year.

Jamie Foxx was a double winner, too. He shared the best WTF moment award with Samuel L. Jackson for their scenes together in "Django Unchained," and later thanked his daughter, parents and siblings in the audience as he accepted the Generation Award for his career in film.

Foxx stars in June's "White House Down."

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