Sexual abuse committed in Syrian prisons was "a deliberate act with a clear aim", says Nobel laureate Denis Mukwege, renowned for his work with victims of sexual violence during conflict. Since the dramatic fall of president Bashar al-Assad last month, thousands of prisoners held in Assad's jails have been liberated. "The use of rape as a weapon of war has increased," the 69-year-old Congolese gynaecologist tells AFP, adding, "It's an unacceptable weapon in society for women's bodies to be turned into battlefields." IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES