Graphic images depicting torture in Syria are currently on display at the United Nations' New York headquarters.

The UN headquarters are displaying the photos this week to mark the fifth year of the civil war in Syria. They were captured by a former military police photographer who is code named "Caesar", according to First Post.

Caesar took the photographs between September 2011 and August 2013 while working at a military hospital in Syria. The pictures depicted the bodies of victims in three detention centres in Damascus, and showed signs of "eye gougings, strangulation and long-term starvation."

The period covers the first three years of the conflict between President Bashar al-Assad and rebel factions, most of which are now allied with the Islamic State or al Qaeda's Al Nusra front.

The article further revealed that Caesar hid the memory sticks with the saved photos in his shoes in order to smuggle the pictures out of Syria.

Lyall Grant, Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, said that the display was meant to help raise awareness of the human rights abuses committed by the Assad regime on prisoners and civilians.

"We hope that this exhibition will serve as a reminder of the imperative to pursue a political solution to the conflict with utmost urgency to end the suffering of the Syrian people," Grant said. 

A US official echoed his sentiments: "These photos make clear the need for justice for the Syrian people."

The civil war in Syria erupted in 2011 after government crackdowns on peaceful protests led to armed rebellion by various factions across the country. The rise of the Islamic State since last June has further complicated the ongoing conflict.