Amnesty International is bringing scenes showing devastation in the Syrian city Aleppo to the streets of Belfast with virtual reality headsets showing the destruction caused by Syrian government barrel bombing of the besieged city.

Using the Amnesty headsets, people in Belfast will be able to place themselves in Aleppo’s rubble-strewn streets for a powerful and disturbing “immersive” experience. The 360-degree images capture some of the apocalyptic scenes after barrel bombing attacks in civilian areas like markets and mosques.

In advance of Culture Night on Friday, when members of the public will be able to try out the technology, Amnesty will be demonstrating the headsets in front of Belfast City Hall on Thursday morning.

Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland Programme Director Patrick Corrigan said: “This truly shocking virtual tour will transport people from downtown Belfast to the bombed-out streets of Aleppo.

“Culture Night is a great opportunity for fun, but it’s also an opportunity to see the world through others’ eyes. That's why we are bringing our VR headsets to Belfast on Friday night.

“The barrel bombing of Aleppo is one of the great crimes of the 21st century. The more we can document and demonstrate the evidence, the more likely it is we’re eventually going to see people brought to justice for these terrible crimes.”

Members of the public can try out virtual reality headsets showing the devastation of the besieged city of Aleppo at the front of Belfast City Hall on Thursday at 10:30am.

Syria VR video is available at 360syria.com/intro

VR viewers at Culture Night Belfast

Visitors to Culture Night Belfast can try out Amnesty’s virtual reality headsets on North Street between 6pm and 8pm on Friday evening

Belfast Telegraph